The Ice Cream King

Krystyna J. Higgins is the former book review editor for the Catholic
New Times.

Lionel has two goals in life: to have all the ice cream he can eat, and
to get a job as a king when he grows up. In pursuit of this second goal,
he enrols as a student in King School, where he spends a year learning
about every aspect of the royalty business. Upon graduation he sets off
for a nearby castle to apply for the job of king. There, however, he
receives a rude awakening. “My dear boy,” intones the palace guard.
“You cannot apply to be king ... That isn’t how it works.” Lionel
is crestfallen—until his friend the ice cream man comes up with a
creative and rewarding solution.

This zany tale is Greg McEvoy’s second children’s book. The text is
straightforward, occasionally even clichéd. What distinguishes the book
are the hilarious, detail-packed illustrations. An especially witty
touch is the incorporation of visual puns on the “royal” concept:
the picture of the castle, for example, swarms with monarch butterflies,
and the school library includes a book by Stephen King. It’s all very
silly and quite good fun. Recommended.