Superlove

An exuberant girl with ginger pigtails adopts the identity of Superlove and stages a slew of backyard weddings. Her stuffed animals serve as brides, grooms, and guests, with couplings that include a purple dinosaur and mouse (“Mimi and Mr. Munchkins get married”), as well as an octopus and a gangly blue mouse (“Sabrina and Orcky get married”). But Superlove’s determined efforts to marry off everyone in sight are thwarted when she can’t get her pet cat, Pinky, down from the tree. Superlove’s parents step in to save the day by walking down the aisle themselves (“and this time you can be there, too”). Chambers’s expressive cartoons provide many moments of humor, but Harper’s story offers a narrow vision of girls’ romantic fantasies. “Oh, Mommy, Superlove doesn’t wear blue,” the girl tells her mother, opting for a striped pink dress with a pink heart on it. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency. Illustrator’s agency: the Bright Agency. (Dec.)