Little Critter is Clumsy But Considerate in Just For You

Little Critter, that funny little Mercer Mayer creation with the brown, spiny fur, heavily lidded eyes and buck teeth, is older than I am. While I didn't show up until 1981, he made his debut in 1975 with Just For You, an adorable story that feels as though it was written for Mother's Day.

In this first outing, Little Critter is short, pudgy, gnarly-pawed and completely unclothed - except at the very end, when he snuggles into a pair of pajamas after his bath. His mother, by contrast, wears several layers of clothes, so I'm not really sure why Little Critter is running around in the buff, even on a trip to the grocery store. Scandalous!

But boy, he sure is cute, and considerate, too, even if his plans don't always quite work out. Every two-page spread contains one regretful statement by him, complemented by an extra-large illustration of the mishap or by two separate pictures documenting the failure in stages. "I wanted to..." he begins; alas, there's always a "but" to follow.

Little Critter tries so hard to do nice things for his mother, from making breakfast to mowing the lawn, but something always goes wrong. He's too small or too clumsy to perform the task properly or too distracted by something else happening at the moment. Finally, though, before the book ends, he manages to find something he can't mess up.

I've always been a Little Critter fan, and seldom has he been sweeter than he is here. He always looks so contrite, even when what happens is completely accidental. Of course, these are the occasions that tend to make the biggest mess; he gets eggs and broken dishes all over the floor, and when a storm spooks him while he's taking a bath, he floods the bathroom. Poor Little Critter...

Always near him are his faithful companions, a grasshopper and a spider who appear to be his pets. On one page, we also see a frog and a butterfly, and a blue jay shows up a couple of times. Otherwise, it's just his mom, who seems to understand very well that her son is doing his best, even if his attempts do sometimes lead to disaster.

Just For You is a tender and comforting book with bright, detailed illustrations and simple, repetitive text. While Little Critter's clumsiness is sure to raise a chuckle or two, his attentiveness to his mother is inspiring, while his mother's response to his efforts shows that sometimes, it really is the thought that counts.