THE LAST BADGE

For 12 generations, the Moss family has maintained an album of Grizzly Scout Greatness. Young Samuel would love to peruse it, but one must be in it to view the great feats of Grizzly Scouts past. So Samuel determines that the best way to get in is to earn the last badge, the only one he has yet to earn, the Moon Frog Badge. To do that, he must provide evidence of the mythic Moon Frog’s existence. After months of research, he divines the location and precise date of the Frog’s appearance. He snaps a photo, only to have an attack of conscience. What will happen if the world knows the truth about the frog? They’ll capture it and study it; it will be miserable. Fear not, it turns out that saving the Moon Frog is the heroic deed every generation has done to enter the pages of the album. Young audiences and independent readers will glory in the sly humor and punny text, not to mention the humor-is-in-the-detail collage illustrations. McClements’s sophomore effort is a gem of an environmental intergenerational tale that is sure to please. (Picture book. 4-8)