Tony Baloney

Tony Baloney is a macaroni penguin with a big sister and two little Bothersome Babies Baloney. He's stuck right in the middle. "When it is absolutely necessary, or most of the time," this likable young fellow has to play with Big Sister Baloney and that means Tony will have to be the kitty. Again. And again. Eventually, he pops his cork and his faithful sidekick, a wild-haired stuffed toy named Dandelion, flies across the room. Uh oh. Time for Tony Baloney to head to his secret hidey hole where he will sit and be visited by his parents. There is a perfect balance here of story told through facial expression, through the bright illustrations and through the text. Every child will recognize and embrace Tony's feelings about his younger siblings and his older sibling and his squished place in between. He will meander toward an apology remembering his parents directive that he has to say it "nicely." Just how long will it take for "nicely" to arrive? I wonder that myself. There are good things in life though that are worth coming out of the hole for and Tony rejoins civilization just in time to enjoy some of them. A fun and highly entertaining visit to behaving badly and making amends nicely. Ages 5-9 40 pages