Buddy and Earl Meet the Neighbors

Buddy and Earl Meet the Neighbors, the latest installment in Maureen Fergus’ “Buddy and Earl series, finds the duo seeking a new adventure by meeting their neighboring cat and bulldog. As usual, the very imaginative and dynamic hedgehog Earl keeps the low key, down-to-earth dog Buddy on his toes, thereby making them a very entertaining and slightly humorous pair. The pacing of events is nonstop from the constant rolling out of ideas conjured by Earl’s vivid imagination until the main conflict of the story arises when the new cat neighbor, Snowflake, is stuck in the tree and Mister, a bulldog, really needs Super Earl’s crime-fighting powers to save his friend. Fergus realistically depicts how sometimes problem-solving takes plan A, B and C before a desirable outcome occurs. So, the optimistic Buddy and Earl don’t give up and keep trying until they help Mister save Snowflake, an act which is the start of their new neighborly friendship.

Carey Sookocheff’s illustrations are created with acrylic gouache on watercolor paper and put together in Photoshop. Cartoon-like drawings and cool colour tones of blue, green, grey, and brown are used to help portray this mischievous adventure. Sookocheff switches between full-page illustrations to show the actual events of the story and panels to tell the make-believe superhero portions of the story. The storytelling with panels is very effective as it gives the readers a feel of transforming into a comic book just like the Buddy and Earl changing into superheroes. Overall, the illustrations propel the storytelling as well as aid in establishing the mood of the story.

Children who like adventures and/or have vivid imaginations will enjoy Buddy and Earl Meet the Neighbors.