Published: 4th April 2025
Publisher: Starfish Bay Publishing
Illustrator: Sally Anderson
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★ ★ ★ – 3 Stars
This is the age old story of the dislike of a dog by a cat but it is told in delightful rhyme which is always fun. The cheeky, semi evil nature of Muffin was great and contrasted beautifully with her princess spoilt design.
Muffin’s dislike of things isn’t unreasonable, and her tolerance is her main motivator, like removing the stinky dog in her house.
The story starts off fun then moves into unrealistic territories but never so outlandish that it takes away from the fun. The dislike only being one side also makes it more enjoyable, Muffin tolerates Hugley and by the end she begrudgingly tolerates him despite her protestations.
Lewis’ rhymes are clever and flow nicely as your read through. There are some creative choices as the story becomes more fanciful but they still work, you don’t get tripped up or removed from the narrative flow.
I loved the illustrations from Anderson. The water colours were lovely with unique colours that were subtle without being too bright. The focus is on the two animals but Muffin’s attempts to eliminate Hugley take them to a range of environments which Anderson plays with nicely.
The ending was nice with some fun additional details by Anderson in the illustrations which added another layer to the narrative and solidifies the new relationship Muffin has with Hugley.
You can purchase Muffin McFluff via the following
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