HARVEST TIME AT SHELDON'S BLUEBERRY FARM

An antioxidant superhero returns to track down a mysterious blueberry squisher on his farm in this sequel.

Sheldon Bilberry, aka Blueberry Boy, has opened his family’s new farm to provide the first crop of berries to all the markets and residents of Jaloonsville. Sheldon and his friends, a group of boys with varying skin hues, are the primary harvesters. The antioxidants enhancing Blueberry Boy’s powers make his efforts lightning quick. But when the farm is open to all the residents to pick their berries, Sheldon hears a disturbing squishing noise. He hops on his tractor to discover the evildoer—only to find someone very surprising. Sheldon then comes up with a solution that shares the blueberry wealth. In this second installment of a picture book series from the team of Jones and Motz (Sheldon, the Antioxidant Super Hero of Jaloonsville, 2012), the superhero’s escapades are more comical than serious and the stakes are never very high. But fans of the first adventure should be glad to see Sheldon’s farm progressing. Motz’s humorous images are more funny pages than graphic novel. The two-dimensional pages feature flat lettering, little shading, and only occasional texturing. But the lack of additional details is appropriate to the tone of Jones’ story, and kids are likely to find someone who looks like them in the classroom at the end. The capper, in which Sheldon’s mother, a teacher, is telling his story to the class, seems an unnecessary and confusing conclusion, but the blue wonder’s tale should still amuse.

More silly, superhero fun for fruit fans.