Sweety

November 15, 2018
A bespectacled naked mole rat stays true to her awkward self.By human standards, Zuill's anthropomorphized naked mole rats are all pretty weird-looking: unsettlingly humanlike; pinkish-white but with beady little eyes, pronounced snoots, and vacant smiles. It seems that there are hierarchies even among naked mole rats, however, and Sweety is somewhere toward the bottom. With Coke-bottle glasses and headgear over her buck teeth, Sweety "could be intense"; she loves mycology and interpretive dance, and she has a hard time making friends with the more popular naked mole rats. Refreshingly, this story doesn't follow a "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" plot, in which deviance is only acceptable if it's useful to others, nor is anyone particularly unkind to the strange mole-girl. Sweety's aunt Ruth informs her that "being different was one of the best things about her life, and that if you stayed true to yourself, you'd find your people." Sweety thinks a little about how to be more popular and considers different attention-getting tricks to find her people, but at the end she decides to "continue to do her favorite things, and be herself." Hilarious, slightly (and appropriately) off-putting pen-and-ink sketches (with an especially delightful spot of some goth adolescent mole rats) perfectly illustrate Sweety's uniqueness.This kind but snarky, winningly honest story about being a square peg is sure to appeal to misfits and queen bees alike. (Picture book. 4-8)

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February 1, 2019

K-Gr 2-Sweety is a particularly awkward naked mole rat. She doesn't always fit in with her classmates. She likes different things, like mushrooms and interpretive dance. Her grandmother calls her a square peg, but Aunt Ruth understands her. Aunt Ruth is a square peg herself and explains to Sweety that if the young mole rat stays true to herself, she will find her people. Sweety wonders who "her people" are and how will they recognize one another. Will there be a secret handshake? Sweety is indeed awkward, with head gear to pull her prominent front teeth together and thick eyeglasses. Pen-and-ink drawings, scanned and colored digitally in a washed color palette, depict the naked mole rats in clothing and other humanlike elements. Drawn with lots of squiggly black lines, tiny eyes, bald heads, and spindly limbs, the cast of characters could be described as adorable and dorky. Composition varies from page to page, ranging from spreads to multiple vignettes. The touching and comedic prose, dotted with an occasional conversation bubble, pairs perfectly with the adorkable characters. Square pegs rejoice, Zuill has created a worthy addition to her lineup of whimsical and lovable character-filled picture books. VERDICT A sweet and heartening selection, best shared one-on-one or in a small group setting.-Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2019
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* Being yourself and being accepted often rest at opposite ends the social spectrum, especially for someone as unique as Sweety. Sweety is a naked mole rat, awkwardly outfitted with large round glasses, headgear attached to her two buckteeth, and an orange polka-dotted dress. Her enthusiasm can be off-putting, as can her hobbies (interpretive dance and identifying fungi). According to her grandmother, she's a little square peg, but some days Sweety wishes she could fit in with her classmates. She feels happiest with her Aunt Ruth, another square peg, who tells Sweety that if you stayed true to yourself, you'd find your people. Sweety takes this to heart, embracing her true, weird self and keeping her eyes peeled for her people?hopefully revealing themselves via secret handshake. Zuill takes a common theme?finding the courage to be yourself?and makes it funny, heartwarming, and inspiring. Her black-lined pen-and-ink illustrations are colored with minty green, peachy pink, buttercup yellow, and other cheerful shades that reflect Sweety's upbeat personality. Spot and full-page illustrations show her in glorious action?performing her book report in a magenta unitard, fawning over red-capped mushrooms?with speech bubbles adding extra splashes of personality. While Mo Willems' Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed (2009) is an obvious companion title, also try it with Susan Lendroth's Natsumi!? (2018).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)