Schnorky (the Wave Puncher!)

Cowpunchers tame cattle, so by extension a wave puncher conquers the sea. The reclusive title character of this Australian import uses weather charts and ""rain dust"" to predict the best surf. And when Schnorky pedals to the beach, surfboard in tow, the kids of Bodgey Head watch with fascination (""He looks old enough to drive a car, but it's hard to tell. People say he's always looked sort of young and sort of old at the same time""). Schnorky is their hero, but parents do not like him, ""no, not at all."" ""He doesn't use money!!!"" a banker complains. ""He doesn't wear shoes!"" says a shoestore owner. The hypocritical townsfolk accept Schnorky only after he rescues the crew of a foundering boat--then quickly reject him again after he skips a very grown-up, very uncool award ceremony held in his honor. Raglus's asymmetrical illustrations, festooned with dialogue balloons and signs, target postmodern sensibilities. The doodles of off-kilter houses, apoplectic teenagers and cars with tailfins have a faux-futuristic look, like the work of J.otto Siebold or the animated series Ren and Stimpy; the type varies in size and color for emphasis, and text unspools recklessly all over the pages. In its fashionably fractured design and its idealization of nonconformity, this one is not so much for kids as for the MTV set. Ages 6-up. (June)