Publishers Weekly - Children's Starred Reviews Annual 2013

dles in a single cupboard,” writes Dorémus (Bear Despair). “To cut a long story short: it’s a disaster!” Spindly ink cartoons on tan backgrounds present a cross-section of the building, as residents peer into cabinets and stare into empty bowls. A bearded man named Andrew—who plays music for spare change and has set up camp near the mailboxes—makes the first discovery: three carrots. Climbing the stairs, he visits Nabil, who has two eggs and a bit of cheese. They climb further, meeting neighbors and gathering scant ingredients until they find the perfect answer: quiche. Dorémus splashes his characters and pages with bright colors that correspond to their contributions, building on the growing sense of jubilation and camaraderie. By book’s end, the celebration has spread to the streets: “Slices of quiche, slices of life.” What could be better? Ages 5–7.

Flora and the Flamingo

Molly Idle. Chronicle, $16.99 ISBN 978- 1-4521-1006-6

Without pro-
viding a backstory
for the eponymous
pair’s curious
meeting, Idle
(Nighty Night,
Noah) imagines a
wordless encounter
between a lithe,
sultry flamingo and a pudgy little girl in
a bathing suit, swim cap, and flippers.
The call-and-response nature of their
dance—the flamingo poses in a series of
sinuous movements on the left, Flora does
her awkward best to mimic them on the
right—produces a series of beautifully
lighthearted tableaus. At first, Flora mod-
els her movements on the flamingo’s, un-
beknownst to the bird. A series of stum-
bles draws a sharp reaction from the fla-
mingo and a sulk from Flora, but the fla-
mingo relents and the two collaborate on
a graceful duet that ends with a joyous
flourish. Inset flaps add drama by reveal-
ing new poses, and Idle’s crisp, confident
drafting produces a reading experience
akin to flipping through a series of ani-
mation cells. There’s an undertone of a
growing-up story, too, as Flora almost
seems to shed childhood self-conscious-
ness and take her first tentative steps into
womanhood. It’s seamless and dynamic
visual storytelling. Ages 3–up.

The Great Lollipop Caper

Dan Krall. Simon & Schuster, $16.99

ISBN 978-1-4424-4460-7

Kids know all too well that grownups like to eat disgusting things. Case in point: capers. Krall (Oh, Nuts!) gives this homely, briny seasoning a tortured inner life (readers may be reminded of Plankton from SpongeBob SquarePants), imagining that the adulation of adults, who prize his “acidic earthiness” is like ashes in Mr. Ca-