Stop Thief!

“I am a big boy now!” announces Randall McCoy to his parents at the beginning of this action-packed story. Randall goes on to prove it when a thief steals his a stuffed pig, Mr. Pigglesworth, and Randall pursues him in a madcap nocturnal chase that takes them to such places as a park, chocolate factory, museum, and carnival. Half the fun is tracking the progress of the main characters via a looping dotted yellow line (not unlike the neighborhood adventures of the children in Bil Keane’s Family Circus cartoons). In contrast to Randall’s harum-scarum activities, his Willems-style hapless parents calmly yawn through all the excitement. The slapstick humor is on target for the book’s audience, and Lane fills his spreads with sly references that both adults and children will get (Batman peeks from behind the zoo’s bat habitat, and several famous paintings are on display in the museum). A combination of summer action flick and old-fashioned adventure, Randall’s story should hold up to multiple re-readings. Best of all: it isn’t just a dream. Ages 4–7. Agent: Meredith Kaffel, Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (May)