Review - Wonder Mole's Scent Costume Party

Wonder Mole's Scent Costume Party
by Pato Mena
Date: 2019
Publisher: nubeOcho
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Moles are blind, so their costume parties are a bit different. They wear perfumes of different animals/characters instead of clothing costumes! Weasel sees her opportunity and tries to sneak into Wonder Mole’s party for a mole dinner. She is wearing the most convincing weasel costume, but will she get caught in the act? A fun and quirky tale that tests your senses and imagination.

(synopsis from NetGalley; see it on Goodreads)

This story has a rather unique premise: when moles have costume parties, they base their costumes largely on scent (since they don't see very well). So when Wonder Mole has a party, all his friends show up wearing various animal scents: giraffe, penguin, frog, horse, etc. A hungry weasel sees an opportunity and sneaks into the party. The moles just think the weasel is another mole in costume, but the weasel has plans to eat a couple of moles for dinner. He joins the celebrations, and even makes it to the final round of the costume competition. But will he be found out before he can satisfy his hunger?

The story is simple and rather silly (how would a mole recognize a rhinoceros costume? Have they been around lots of rhinoceroses?) but the real strength here is the pictures. The weasel is hilarious, and his facial expressions (especially at the end) made me smile. He may have gotten more than he bargained for by sneaking into that party!

While the story is basically just a clever premise wrapped up in a sparse story and some bold illustrations, it kind of works. Kids who are able to just go with the story (and not keep wondering how the moles could recognize all those diverse animal scents, like I was) will probably be amused and entertained. 

Thank you to NetGalley and nubeOcho for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.17 out of 5