Art's Supplies.

With a peek into Art’s chaotic playroom, he stands in front of the door covered in paint and declares, “It’s not my fault! My supplies have a mind of their own!” The clever youngster then includes the reader on how things became so disorganized: “The paper started it …” Many art supplies join in the fun before we see the boy’s masterpieces, and our empathy is requested to understand why he was unable to clean up his mess.

The title gives the reader great insight into this book of puns. Kids will giggle their way through, learning how fun language and art is. Adults do need to be present, asking questions and explaining the advanced and somewhat poor text or to answer questions if asked. There is a lot of extraneous comic book-style text said by the supplies, which takes the reader away from the story if reading in a group but may be fun for a child alone to discover the book on a deeper level. Tougas’s bold, bright, and whimsical illustrations are very similar to David Shannon’s lovable creations. It is evident that Tougas loves to create. Recommended with reservations.