Review by Karl Verhoven

NoBody Likes You Greta Grump opens as a disillusioned rabbit arrives back at the pet store having failed to captivate a troublesome customer. Greta Grump is an unfeasibly demanding child, so much so that every other pet sent along as company has returned to the pet store. That is until the store owner sends the practically comatose tortoise NoBody along. Hence a title smarter than it appears.

Cathy Malkasian begins with a variation on Mary Poppins as an unruly child is captivated by curiosity, and indeed NoBody turns out to be a settler of problems using what would be considered magical means if they weren’t so everyday to him. As Greta accompanies him, first within his shell, then on the way to Friendlytown, she’s astounded at what she observes. “Why do you know so many people?”, she asks. “Because I like them”, replies NoBody, “and I like them because I know them”. That’s at the crux of this fable, which is a counter-argument to isolationism aimed at youngsters.

A storybook style of painted illustration accompanies eye-opening journeys where the impossible is possible. The drawing is charming, practical and defines the whole host of eccentric characters well. An especially delightful aspect is a lack of concern for scale. Big people bend down to speak to smaller types, and the initial Greta is a wonderfully drawn bundle of childhood aggression.

Friendlytown was once as its name suggests, but is now alienating people, and after some research it seems likely to have been invested by Mean Streaks. While NoBody’s vocabulary is deliberately puzzling for a young adult audience, the idea of Mean Streaks is easily conveyed, and once identified the solution is at hand, and delightfully played out. The allegory is at times a little heavy-handed, but it’s smart, and will have the smarter readers considering their own behaviour. If only it were that simple in reality.