October 1, 2012
Hiti’s demon antihero is so petite that he could easily be vanquished with a flyswatter. Readers are assured, however, that little orange Waga is actually “the meanest... trickiest... most terrible monster that ever lived” and that he possesses “the biggest scare!” But Waga has a problem: his scare has gone missing, and without it, he’ll disappear at dawn. “No more tricks, no more scares, no more monster fun.” Could the scare be even closer than readers realize? Bringing to mind the oeuvre of Kevin O’Malley, Hiti, a comics artist making his children’s book debut, goes for broad humor—visual slapstick (Waga sliding through a house’s plumbing system), comedic sturm und drang (Waga’s curly ears vibrate in fright at the thought of nonexistence), and urgent asides that make readers complicit in the action (“Hurry Waga!” the story urges as Waga races to find his scare before dawn). But while each spread exhibits a loosey-goosey sense of fun and verve (Hiti’s hand-lettered typography has enough personality to get co-star billing), the ultimate takeaway is a series of clever, slightly silly drawings. There’s a little song, and a little dance, but no seltzer down anyone’s pants. Ages 5–9.
August 1, 2012
Waga is a monster that is mean, tricky and possesses the "biggest scare." But when Waga loses that scare, the monster's very existence is in jeopardy. It is evident Hiti comes from the comic-book world. The text is pared down to essential declarations, exclamations and gleeful sound effects in this rapidly paced title. In settings of mostly teal, deep red, white, black and gray, Waga stands out as a brilliantly orange phenom outlined in black that appears to be a combination of a golem, troll and mischievous elf. The first few pages boast of Waga's terrifying reputation in the monster world, but a page turn early on abruptly reveals an instantly saddened creature. The scare is gone, and if Waga fails to recover it by morning, "Waga will disappear for good." The remainder of the book follows Waga on a search through the "creepy woods," "the dark, dank cave" and the graveyard, eventually leading to the sudden, surprising revelation of where the biggest scare is. "Waga had left the scare / ...IN YOUR ROOM!!! BOOOO HA-HAH-HA-HA-HAH-HAAA..." Waga has overcome his wildly swinging emotions and is now presented as most threatening and scary on the final page, with his many sharp, pointy teeth bared and hands poised to grab. The ending may leave younger or more sensitive readers unsettled, so save this slim, adrenaline-fueled tale for those who crave a true, if ephemeral, fright. (Picture book. 5-8)
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October 1, 2012
K-Gr 3-Children first meet the frightening Waga standing in a tree on the bright, foreboding cover. Inside the book jacket, they are duly warned to continue reading only if they dare. The monster is crying because he has lost his scare, and readers follow him through some creepy locales as he tries to find it. His facial expressions are slightly sinister, but fans of monsters and all things spooky will revel in his antics. This book may be too scary for very young children, and the scene showing Waga crawling and snaking through the pipes of a building into "your room" does not exactly make for a calming bedtime story, but it's great as a scary read for Halloween. The artwork is exuberant and grimly amusing, and complements the text well.-Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, IL
Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.