Annette, a Big, Hairy Mom, is a romping read, good for a family read aloud. A funny would-be villain, a small boy, and a wily Bigfoot creature all come together in a woodsy area of northern California.
So the boy gets lost, of course, and the Bigfoot mom finds him. She takes care of him and aims to return him to humans. But of course there are complications! She can’t speak to the boy, really, or can she? And the first human she takes him to is a hermit and doesn’t want to help. Meanwhile how can she remain invisible to the wider world if she brings him closer to civilization?
Then there is the man baiting traps for Bigfoot with muffins, then eating the muffins himself with predictable consequences. There’s the mountain lion looking for a tasty human snack. And don’t forget the guys convinced the child was abducted by aliens, all excited about meeting aliens, wearing aluminum foil on their heads.
I really enjoyed this book. It hasn’t received much attention, and I think that’s because the skilled author’s primary genre is something else entirely: horror. I’m glad he got around to writing this little series about memorable Annette.
One caution. This book, published in 2013, ridicules the would-be bad guy for eating all the time. So if overweight is an issue in your family, you’ll want to avoid this book. And in any event you’ll want to discuss fat shaming with your kids.