GUS AND BUSTER WORK THINGS OUT

by Andrew Bronin ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 27, 1975

Bronin introduces a slight variation on the easy reading animal friendship by making Gus and Buster raccoon brothers, with Gus the slicker one who badgers and bamboozles the other (""heads I win, tails you lose"") but often winds up without the advantage. When Gus tricks his brother into taking the top bunk that neither wants (incidentally, we thought it was usually the other way round), he ends up switching because Buster's difficulties in settling down (he tries ordering the different parts of his body to fall asleep) are keeping Gus awake too. (""How can I sleep when you are whispering to your toes?"") In another episode Gus takes all the indoor toys on a rainy day and gives buster the glove, bat and bike. . . and then the sun comes out. And though Gus takes great pains to teach his noisy-eating brother to chew with his mouth closed, Buster's subsequent lack of enjoyment moves him to give in and just try not to listen. The human siblings we know are not nearly this ready to accommodate, but if Gus and Buster are idealized they look and sound natural enough to disguise the preceptive nature of their adventures disarmingly, and there is a pinch of humor along with recognition in the sketches.

Pub Date: May 27, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1975

Categories: CHILDREN'S