The Legend of Messy M'Cheany

The eponymous antihero makes Pigpen from Peanuts look like a neat freak. Not only is he "the messiest kid in town," he's also gauche and gross: "If he rode a scooter, he'd run over your toes./ He'd toot like a turkey, then he'd pick his nose./ Look, Ma, GOLD!" When his world is "girl'd" with the arrival of little sister Missy ("All pink and fluffy and powdered and clean"), Messy tries to bring Missy over to the dirt side, only to discover that he's powerless against the civilizing forces of femininity. (Falling to his knees, Messy declares, "I know I've lived the life of a bum,/ But Missy, you've taught me what I could become.") Although the premise feels lifted straight from a Judd Apatow movie (or a G-rated facsimile), it's actually based on a mock-western ballad from Gifford's 2001 kids' album, Party Animals. Alexandersen (who collaborated with Gifford on a 2010 picture book also derived from the album) contributes some spirited cartooning, but even his exaggerated characterizations can't entirely disguise a story line that's an unabashed throwback in terms of gender roles. Audio CD included. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (June)