Hello, friends! Our book today is Rot: The Bravest In The World by Ben Clanton, a surprisingly sweet tale of courage.

Rot, like all “mutant potatoes”, loves mud. He loves to eat it, wear it, and especially squish around in it. Seeing a marvelously murky mud puddle, Rot excitedly approaches – until his brother Snot stops him with a spooky (and fabricated) tale of the fearsome Squirm, a creature that dwells within the puddle. The Squirm is vicious and sinister and, naturally, just lives for eating up unsuspecting mutant potatoes. Torn between his desire to enjoy the pristinely mucky puddle and his newfound fear of the Squirm, Rot tries his best to steel himself by imagining that he is a series of brave and noble heroes. Yet in the end, he will have to find the courage within himself to face his fears.

Delightful! A sequel to Rot’s previous adventure (Rot: The Cutest In The World, which we have not yet read), this offbeat offering and its decidedly unique protagonist come with a great deal of earnestness and heart. Rot eventually finds that the Squirm is a fabrication, yet the mud puddle does indeed contain a new friend to play with (and, hilariously, allows him to turn the tables on Snot in a prank that is harmless, and even well-received). His series of imaginary heroes are especially charming, while also providing young readers with a useful coping strategy for when they must deal with their own fears. The artwork is a perfect balance of being gross enough to amuse kiddos without being truly disgusting, and offers a number of fun visual gags and fantastic, dynamic typeset to give the text punch. The length was great, and JJ really enjoyed it. Overall, we enjoyed this one so much, and would recommend it to any reader; it’s great fun, and it may even help them find the hero within. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)