Hang Glider & Mud Mask

Is it two stories in one? Or one story that doesn’t end? McMullen (editor of the McMullens imprint) and artist Jägel, in their first work for children, have created a wholly original Möbius strip of a book with two front covers (each opens at left) whose stories meet in the middle, finding their resolutions with the opposing cover. In the Mud Mask story line, a girl in scuffed-up pants and a bandanna (who is also in the middle of a facial) climbs up via stairs, ladder, and more to catch “the flying legs” that can be seen peeking out from a triangular yellow hang glider on the opposite cover; the second story follows a boy’s downward flight into the arms of the girl. With imagery and palette as unusual as the format, it’s an odd—and oddly successful—journey. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)