CAMPERS BEWARE

Molly hopes that a family camping trip will give her dad and the bear who lives with them a chance to become friends.

The Scotts continue to draw humor from a foundational element of their syndicated webcomic: the constant friction between 11-year-old Molly’s dad and the huge and hairy extrovert who’s moved in. Inspired by a four-step strategy for making friends, Molly sets her ursine buddy to mending parental fences during a weeklong vacation. But along with painful encounters with bees, mosquitoes, and other miseries, practically every interaction with the bumbling behemoth leaves Molly’s dad annoyed or depressed, and even his hopes of enjoying a little father/daughter quality time are repeatedly stymied. While the setups and punchlines work for a short daily comic strip, these elements quickly turn monotonous when they come along every few pages in an extended storyline. Still, even while repeatedly playing victim or comic foil, Molly’s dad may come in for some reader sympathy as he sadly remarks on watching Molly growing away from their former closeness. Readers may also find the advice for making friends helpful in their own lives: “1. Be interested / 2. Compliment / 3. Help / 4. Gifts.” This second series entry has one full book-length story followed by two short additional episodes. Molly and her family present white.

A well-meaning and nuanced story but with a heavy and repetitive lean on the “hapless dad” trope.