(2) K-3 Translated by Antony Shugaar. The squirrel protagonist and narrator encounters a mushroom sitting on a log and declares, "This is definitely a best friend. At least I think he is." With this conviction in mind, the squirrel sets out to mold the mushroom, Pock, in its image of a best friend, showing him "the tree I like most, my secret places in the forest, things you wouldn't show anyone except a best friend." The two spend a few seasons together in quiet but content companionship, and Pock's best-friend status seems secure, until "spring arrives, and so does Moo," a dragonfly. As the squirrel discovers shared hobbies with the insect, it wonders whether Moo, not Pock, is actually its best friend. This leads to a crisis of decision-making, hilariously expressed: "Moo... Pock...Mo...Mock...Poo...Po...Aaarrrgh!" Just when it seems things can't get more confusing, yet another new friend appears: Gunther the mouse. Through a distinctive first-person narrative voice that sometimes verges on stream of consciousness, this book explores the question of what makes a best friend and whether it's possible to have more than one. Tallec's earth-tone illustrations imbue the pages with an ambience befitting the whimsical forest setting. The characters' simply drawn faces are evocative, their expressions rendered humorously hyperbolic through their stylized cartoonlike eyes in this funny picture book.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) K-3 Translated by Antony Shugaar. Illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna. "Once upon a time, there was a girl who was called Little Yellow Riding Hood." "No, red!" "...Her mother said: Now go to Aunt Hildegard's house and take her this potato peel." "No, it's: Go to your grandmother's house and bring her this warm loaf of bread." Here is a humorous story of a grandfather retelling "Little Red Riding Hood" to his granddaughter, and telling it hilariously wrong. The child keeps correcting him, but it doesn't seem to get him back on track. And why bother? Anyone who reads this book will see that the heart of storytelling with children is not the accurate retelling of plot but rather the connection and creative interaction between adult and child. Alemagna's (Never, Not Ever!, rev. 9/21) well-composed and multilayered mixed-media illustrations cleverly support the transition between the two speakers, as the narrative is related solely through dialogue; thought bubbles amusingly show the very different stories unfolding in each of the character's heads. Young readers already familiar with "Little Red Riding Hood" may enjoy this story most, but it will be great fun for all, nonetheless.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(1) 1-3 Translated by Antony Shugaar. Illustrated by Nicolas Hubesch. In six brief chapters, Bruno the cat recounts the goings-on in his life. Some chapters are chock-full of the surreal and extraordinary, while others are more quotidian, all presented in a straightforward, conversational tone and through playful, observant art. Recurring characters and visual details--drawn in a slightly unsteady, inviting black line--produce a rewarding interconnectivity between chapters.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(4) K-3 Translated by Antony Shugaar. Illustrated by Lisa D'Andrea. A cat believes that thinking about mice ("The one who gardened. / The one who lived in a pipe," etc.) is his duty--"If I don't think about them, who will?" This pleasantly strange story reads most like an adult-geared parable about letting go of inner demons, but young readers can appreciate the refined illustrations showing a multiplicity of anthropomorphized rodents.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Translated by Antony Shugaar. Illustrated by Simona Mulazzani. Lush art in cozy nighttime colors lends a magical, drowsy atmosphere to this lyrical look at creatures' bedtimes. Rhyming couplets are full of rhythm and repetition to soothe the youngest ears: "Mouse ate her apple and read her nice book. / Who else is sleeping? Just take a good look." This large-format ode to the joys of dreamland sets the right nighttime tone.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2014