Wonder Mole’s Scent Costume Party by Pato Mena was another book that there was great potential to the story but fell a more than a little flat at the end.
The theme of having a “scent party” instead of a costume party for the moles, is a hoot. This is because moles are mostly blind and do not see well. Therefore, any fancy costumes are lost on them, but a good scent of a giraffe or other critter, is a feast for the nose! The lead up of a real and sneaky weasel finding its way into the party has good tension. After all, the weasel comes out and says to the readers it is looking for mole for dinner! Yet, the foolishness of the moles, their naivety and especially the police officers extreme lack of any common sense tosses it all out the door. When the weasel is found out (no thanks to the moles themselves) that is where it ends. What is the point of the story? There were so many ways this could have gone yet did not. This ending was very confusing indeed.
Not even Mena’s illustrations were pleasing for me. Doing a quick look about for other titles done by Mena, I found that what they have done, and I have not always agreed. In fact, I could not find one title I was a fan of. Therefore, my conclusion is that while there is an audience waiting, I am not the audience Pato Mena has in mind for their books.
