Clyde

On a quest to prove he’s one bad dude, a young bear forsakes his forest home for the streets of the city in this madcap graphic novel by Benton (the Catwad series). Clyde yearns to be “bad as bologna. Left out on the counter to spoil.” When scaring off a turned-around butterfly and tossing his own turtle grandmother into a nearby lake fail to satisfy his dastardly impulses, Clyde, sporting a perpetual frown, travels from his idyllic hometown of Cubville to “the baddest place he knew—Grizzly City!” Shortly into his trip, however, Clyde is knocked unconscious by butterfly Melinda Sue, a Grizzly City native who claims she’s come to take him back to Cubville. Still, Clyde won’t stray from his quest. Upon arriving at the metropolis, though, he finds himself in over his head dealing with a rough-and-tumble welcoming committee—until Melinda Sue swoops in to save the day. Large, straightforward panels relay cheeky dialogue and visual gags that lightly poke fun at Clyde’s delinquent aspirations—his hospital discharge papers following his encounter with Melinda Sue read “creamed by butterfly”—resulting in an enthusiastic, humorous work. A Spanish-language edition publishes simultaneously. Ages 6–9. (Mar.)