But Not the Armadillo

“It might sound strange to call a board book “long awaited,” but for those who have puzzled and perhaps even argued over the message of the great Sandra Boynton’s 1982 But Not the Hippopotamus, the arrival of a follow-up called But Not the Armadillo is exciting news… I am here to tell you that Boynton has settled the question: The armadillo, ‘with his armadillo nose,’ really likes to wander around by himself, following that sausage-shaped schnoz ‘where it goes.’…He hears music from far away. A hippo (ahem) rushes busily by — ‘she wants to run and play.’ But, you guessed it, ‘not the armadillo.’ And that’s O.K., we’re helped to see: ‘He doesn’t like to hurry.’ There’s one more beat, a moment of parting grace that shows why Boynton is the absolute master of board books. ‘Please scratch his armadillo nose and tell him not to worry.’ To each creature his or her own.”