Skunk and Badger stumble into the adventure of a lifetime in round two of this quirky, comical early reader series about a mismatched pair of friends.
Newbery Honoree Amy Timberlake (One Came Home) and Caldecott Medal winner Jon Klassen (This Is Not My Hat) team up again to build on their story of a friendship both tender and outrageously funny. Roommates Skunk and Badger set off on a camping trip to Endless Lake to escape home-life burdens and, perhaps, to find a new agate for Badger's alphabetized rock collection. Badger is still heartbroken over the loss of his beloved Spider Eye Agate, which was "stolen, filched, purloined" at a family reunion by his cousin Fisher. Right before they leave, Skunk learns that his nemesis, Mr. G. Hedgehog, is in town and is planning to continue his habit of pilfering Skunk's cherished New Yak Times Book Review. ("Yaks make the best book reviewers. Is it their shaggy bangs that bring focus?") Deep in a cave, Skunk and Badger do find something of geological interest, but it's no agate--they discover a wall of amber with a massive, fossilized egg. Unfortunately, Badger's conniving cousin Fisher has also found the egg.
While book one (Skunk and Badger) establishes the fragile new bond between the roommates, Egg Marks the Spot deepens the connection. Klassen contributes his trademark droll artwork in both full-color and black-and-white illustrations that invite leisurely perusal. Details like the cast-iron pan hanging from Skunk's massively overstuffed backpack work to build on and reinforce the hilarity of Timberlake's text. Book three, we're waiting for you! --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor