Chris Britt’s illustrations will look familiar to readers of Illinois Times, where his exclusive editorial cartoon appears weekly. He formerly worked as staff editorial cartoonist at the State Journal-Register.
A self-described “visual communicator,” Britt has recently crossed genres and tried his hand at children’s literature. The result is Blabbering Bethann (Pelican Publishing Company), a tale of a little girl who bullies her way through everyone around her until she finds the ensuing social rejection unpleasant, and tries another tack.
Britt seems to have taken a “How hard can it be?” approach, resulting in a book high on style (visually, at least) and lacking in substance. Unlike his searing cartoons, where he regularly skewers politicians, downtown do-gooders and just about anybody else, this time he has not offended anyone (except maybe pterodactyls). But he has produced a story that may leave parents wondering if they unintentionally skipped a page.
His protagonist, Bethann, is hard to like, to say the least. She spends her day bullying her way to the last cupcake, the first swing at recess and the best seat on the school bus. Her tagline is “What Bethann wants, Bethann gets!”
Cute, huh?
As she blabbers such lines, Bethann appears to be a rampaging rhinoceros, a snarling alligator and a slithering snake, among other creatures.
After pushing her classmates around all day, Bethann gets her comeuppance and learns a valuable lesson when…. Nope, that’s not the way it happens. She just has a dream about being nice and then consequently is nice. That’s where this book lost me.
Britt’s illustrations are fantastic and appealing, with the larger-than-life beasts terrifying wide-eyed innocent bystanders. Bethann’s flying slobber and prominent eyebrows are nice touches, which demonstrate her roughness around the edges. Great illustrations go a long way in children’s literature; they’re maybe what makes a favorite a favorite. Also, Britt is very liberal with his adjectives (“like a sulking, scaly snake in irritated aggravation”) and that’s fun for both reader and listener, if sometimes awkward (“taste bud-provokin’, yum-yum-evokin’”? Are we suddenly in the bayou or something?). For these reasons, some kids may overlook Britt’s weak story. More power to them.
I’m not some tiger mom who thinks that children should be constantly learning and preparing for the SATs. But this is not a good story. This is a book that your kids may request for a while but you will dread reading. There’s a possibility it may get “lost” behind their bookcase.
Bethann acts like a little beast all day, with no hint as to why. Does she have a jerky older sibling who picks on her? A hard little bed so she doesn’t sleep well? Absentee parents who buy her things instead of spending quality time? Who knows? She’s just a little bi-, excuse me, blabberer. In Britt’s world some kids are just nice, some are not.
After Bethann’s dream about being kind (which we don’t hear about, but it must have been quite a dream, to totally change her demeanor), she decides to share a giant cake with her class. Because being liked is the most important thing. And handing out sugar is a good way to be liked. If you agree with that, you’re going to love this book.
Ann Farrar is a parent, mental health counselor and actor originally from Springfield. She is currently raising her family all over North America on a theater tour.
This article appears in Capital City Parent January 2015.
