WILKY THE WHITE HOUSE COCKROACH

Wilky lives with his large family in Oscar’s Pizza Palace in Washington, D.C., but he longs for adventures like those of his ill-fated Uncle Julius (now a stain on the wall). Against his mother’s instructions, Wilky jumps on to the counter and in to a pizza box that’s delivered to the Oval Office. When he jumps out, Cabinet Officials and FBI Agents try to track him down, especially after he causes a scene at a State dinner with the French Ambassador. No one can catch him, so the President offers a truce and Wilky becomes the first White House Cockroach. Cartoonist and illustrator Schneider’s parody of American Government is spot-on, but much of the humor will skitter right past the target audience. The illustrations are typical Schneider, though less energetic than Chewy Louie (2000), but this might be a fun diversion for a middle-grade civics unit. (Picture book. 5-9)