Starred Review Helvetica the raven is in a bit of a jam t through any fault of her own, she'll have you know. A series of nest-related catastrophes has left her with nowhere to lay her eggs, so when she spots a large, twiggy platform in a tree (far from the unintentionally destructive force known as Gumluck the Wizard), she quickly fashions a nest there and deposits three speckled, mint-green eggs. It's only later that Helvetica realizes she's built her nest inside the giant nest of Viridian, the green dragon. What ensues is a masterful display of giggle-inducing misunderstandings and flawed logic that results in Viridian believing the eggs are hers and that for Helvetica to be the mother, as she claims, Helvetica would also have to be a dragon. Fortunately, Gumluck knows just how to settle the dispute: a competition to determine the best dragon, winner gets the eggs. As an obvious raven, Helvetica has her work cut out for her, which only ramps up the situational humor and underscores the genuine love she has for her babies. Spot and full-page illustrations adorn the chapters, and Rex also sprinkles the narrative with seemingly random asides and funny gags that come together like magic by story's end. This second adventure in the Gumluck series is every bit as wonderful as the first.

Confusion reigns when Helvetica the raven lays a clutch of eggs in a temporarily unoccupied dragon's nest.In addition to tracking Gumluck the wizard's most contagious yawn as it travels across the land, this second series installment provides further doses of noodle-headed wisdom. Both feathered narrator Helvetica and huge, fire-breathing Viridian lay claim to a trio of eggs in the latter's treetop nest. Mistakenly believing that these are dragon eggs, sweetly naïve Gumluck declares that there's nothing for it but to have a competition to see who makes the better dragon; Viridian will pick the tests, and Helvetica, the judges. None of the four tests go off quite as planned, but by the time they're over, even Viridian is ready to admit that the real question is who makes the better mother. The answer is plain, and so by the time the yawn has at last returned after many unusual adventures, everyone finds a satisfying resolution to the conflict. Along with tucking in brief but cogent exchanges on such philosophical topics as how caring people can be careless at the same time, Rex adds sheaves of finely detailed drawings featuring comically caricatured figures-including a light-skinned Gumluck-and a dragon who's clearly a nod to Kenneth Grahame's The Reluctant Dragon, illustrated by Ernest Shepard. Bedtime and the insight that friendship and magic have much in common bring this outing to a cozy, dozy close.Magic through and through. (Fantasy. 8-10)

Confusion reigns when Helvetica the raven lays a clutch of eggs in a temporarily unoccupied dragon's nest.In addition to tracking Gumluck the wizard's most contagious yawn as it travels across the land, this second series installment provides further doses of noodle-headed wisdom. Both feathered narrator Helvetica and huge, fire-breathing Viridian lay claim to a trio of eggs in the latter's treetop nest. Mistakenly believing that these are dragon eggs, sweetly naïve Gumluck declares that there's nothing for it but to have a competition to see who makes the better dragon; Viridian will pick the tests, and Helvetica, the judges. None of the four tests go off quite as planned, but by the time they're over, even Viridian is ready to admit that the real question is who makes the better mother. The answer is plain, and so by the time the yawn has at last returned after many unusual adventures, everyone finds a satisfying resolution to the conflict. Along with tucking in brief but cogent exchanges on such philosophical topics as how caring people can be careless at the same time, Rex adds sheaves of finely detailed drawings featuring comically caricatured figures-including a light-skinned Gumluck-and a dragon who's clearly a nod to Kenneth Grahame's The Reluctant Dragon, illustrated by Ernest Shepard. Bedtime and the insight that friendship and magic have much in common bring this outing to a cozy, dozy close.Magic through and through. (Fantasy. 8-10)