The Lizard Man of Crabtree County

Backed by a jaunty, banjo-inflected soundtrack, this charming iconographic tale--narrated by David Calabrese--is based on the 1999 picture book written by Lucy Nolan and illustrated by Jill Kastner. Aside from a car-chasing cow and the discovery of a gourd that resembles Honest Abe, Crabtree County is a pretty humdrum place, a fact young James Arthur knows all too well. Even when he camouflages himself as a shrub in hopes of witnessing something cool, all James Arthur finds are bugs in his undies--leading to a quick dip in neighbor Ms. Bunch's pond to rinse off. But J.A.'s creepy undercover bush shadow scares Ms. Bunch, spawning the report of the titular Lizard Man, which spreads through the town like wildfire. Hearing the story from his mom, J.A. excitedly dons tracking gear (including flippers), and embarks on a search for the creature, but comes up empty-handed. Of course, the fire department later finds strange, Lizard Man-confirming tracks, and J.A. decides to hunt for the creature at night with his hound Moondog. From sleeping solo in a tree to decorating an old serpent float to use as a female lure for the Lizard Man, J.A. pulls out all the stops to find the monster that's driving the townspeople crazy. A funny tale with a clever twist, this is highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (J. Williams-Wood)