Jaden Toussaint, The Great Episode 3: Muffin Wars
Illustrated by Stephanie Parcus
64 pp. Plum Street Press
(Picture book; ages 5-9)
978-194316913-9
www.martidumasbooks.com
With trademark wit, spunk, and all around smartypants-ness, Jaden Toussaint is back with another hurdle his big-boy brain will find a way to get over.
Jaden is used to being good at everything: ninja dancing; being a smart guy; and being a good friend, brother, and son. He expects to be a good friend too when his cousin, Muffin, comes to visit. They haven't seen each other since they were babies. (Of course neither of them remembers because they were to little!) When Muffin has to stay with the Toussaint family while her parents hunt for an apartment, Jaden is set to teach her the ways of the five-year-old world. Well...that doesn't go as planned. Jaden finds that Muffin's just as smart and cultured as he is. Reeling from his own jealousy and anger, Jaden goes on a super-duper journey to understanding emotional intelligence, remaining humble, and learning that there's room in the world for one more ingenious genius.
Marti Dumas is back again tackling the complex emotions adults often overlook in children. With crisp text and humor, the Muffin Wars is the episode children's programming and education needs. Well-plotted with strong character development, this story charts Jaden's arc like a rainbow as he comes to terms with his own emotions and his decision to make room for another person's experience. Stephanie Parcus's illustrates with clean lines and a touch of haze that add texture to the narrative and acts like a camera filter bringing into focus the brilliant characterizations of the Toussaint world.
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