Blown Away

Crisp, formal, and understated, newcomer Biddulph’s images give evidence of his training as a graphic designer (as well as his sense of humor). He begins with a simple idea—a kite that carries its owner into the sky—and develops it with tongue-in-cheek charm. Penguin Blue, the kite-flier, is a fireplug of a creature whose Prussian blue head and back contrast handsomely with the glow of sunset yellow on his white chest. As it flies, the kite gathers ever more improbable cargo, hooking a seal named Wilbur, Wilbur’s laundry, and a polar bear rowing an inflatable boat. They land on a jungle island, which Biddulph, as scrupulous about rhyme and meter as he is about layout, describes as “lush and green/ (a color that they’ve never seen)./ ‘The trees look soft. We’ll be all right./ Hello, jungle! Good-bye, kite!’ ” Their idea for getting off the island is as inventive as the mishap that got them there. With the book’s gentle ending and the kind of narrative voice that gives readers the sense that everything’s well in hand, children will demand repeat reads. Ages 4–8. Agent: Jodie Hodges, United Agents. (Jan.)