This a Caldecott book written by David Wiesner. A nearly wordless picture book, Mr. Wuffles follows the escapades of a group of aliens who are trying to repair their ship which has been damaged by the title character, a black cat. They are aided by other creatures who have been tormented by Mr. Wuffles and make a daring dash to their ship and freedom.The space under a radiator is not just full of dust bunnies anymore. On their journey, the aliens have to figure out how to communicate with the other creatures they meet, which opens the door to discussions on language and communication. The illustrations in this book are fun to look at. The hardcover of the book showcases an out of space theme. I love Wiesner's art style and his sense of humor. I really enjoyed seeing how the aliens communicated with the insects via the "cave" drawings, too. There are vivid details in the drawings of the aliens within this fun picture book. I loved the bright colors used in this book,but especially the fact that the cat stood out more since it was black and white. This is an adorable book, if a bit more difficult to follow than Wiesner's previous books. I wish that he had included more panels about how the aliens and the bugs worked together, and some indication how the aliens got into the house would have been really useful to the story line. Sadly, I can't use this in a story time, with the missing parts of the picture narrative, the story would be too complex for small children to follow. If there are no pictures about how the aliens came into the house, I can't easily explain it to the young ones, and without words for the older ones, it can be difficult to follow.
What do You think about Mr. Wuffles! (2013)?
Very visual; limited text so won't be using for a read-aloud. However, I really enjoyed the book!
—Karen
