Good Fun with Barkus & Friends

Taylor Worley (she/her) is a Youth Services Librarian for Springfield Public Library in Oregon. When not reading, she’s typically gaming, creating something, or collecting bits of nature. You can find her in various online communities at @magpiebricolage, @magpiemakesstuff, or @magpiereadsstuff.

Patricia MacLaclan (author) and Marc Boutavant (Illustrator) return to their endearing early-reader series with this third installment, “Barkus: The Most Fun.” In fifty-five nostalgically illustrated pages, readers follow Barkus, Baby, and their humans through four chapters, each of which can be read as a stand-alone narrative. Chapter one, set in (suggested) summer, is a camping adventure in which Baby (the cat) sneaks along with Barkus and the humans. Chapter two is a Spring story on the farm, in which Barkus gets to flex his herding skills. Chapter three is a celebration of pets with an autumnal parade. Finally, chapter four is a vacation to a cozy cabin for a closing, winter tale.

Because the word count on Barkus’ books is fairly high, dividing these stories into the approachable chapters is very helpful for emerging readers. Notably, each of the four seasons is explicitly stated - either in chapter titles or during the story - except for Summer, which isn’t specifically labeled. Summer is also out of seasonal order, which might cause confusion for more particular readers. That being said, this title is still solidly in the “emerging reader” or “learn to read” category, simply on the upper edge of the spectrum. “The Most Fun” qualifies for Geisel Award consideration, however I’m not confident it quite has what it takes to be a viable contender, this year. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have all three volumes of Barkus’ adventures on your library shelves - you should! - but rather there are a few minor flaws that are likely to knock it out of the running. The heart of Geisel Award criteria is the need to generate the necessary “page turning” experience to “stimulate a successful reading experience” for emerging readers. “The Most Fun” lulls in Autumn, lacking a clear plot to move the story forward. Because this chapter occurs between 50% and 75% of the way through the book, there’s a risk of losing the interest of those emerging readers. This, combined with the curious ordering of seasonal stories, is enough to knock it out of the top contenders for the 2021 publishing year. That being said, the Barkus series is still an exceptionally strong choice for early-reader shelves. Boutavant’s vivid illustrations are sweet and have a distinctly nostalgic feel (at least, for folks old enough to feel nostalgic). The book design is in sync with readers’ needs, utilizing a large and clean serif font, generous white space, and illustrations on almost every page. Barkus is bright, happy, and endearing; exactly what we want to engage new readers. So is “Barkus: The Most Fun” going to take home a Geisel Award this year? Probably not. Is it a lovely book and part of an excellent early-reader series? Definitely! Don’t hesitate to add these delightful books to your shelves. They are great fun.