Milord (Willa the Wonderful
) recounts three vignettes in the life of an obtuse rooster named Thurston that each results in a punch line. In "Everything," Thurston finds a recipe for "Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Soup." When the soup seems "to be lacking something," Thurston gamely adds his own ingredients, predictably, "including
the kitchen sink!" (an illustration of the drain plug in the soup bowl and a hole where the sink was reinforce the joke). While a dot of the eye allows for some quizzical facial expressions and the bright colors will appeal to preschoolers, Milord's simple acrylic ink, watercolor and pencil illustrations seem at times repetitive. In the second incident ("Maybe, Maybe Not"), Thurston taunts his feathered friend Mirabelle: "Show me a chicken who says she can do something, and I'll show you a rooster who can do it better!" Thurston boasts. In the strongest denouement (albeit one that might appeal more to child-bearing adults than to children), Mirabelle turns the yolk on Thurston by holding out an egg and saying, "Your turn." The third episode delivers a dicey message when Thurston cheats at cards and then bolts when he realizes he still won't win ("I may not always win," he explains to readers, "but I never
lose!"). The format and art style—with the fine black line and blocks of soothing colors—may recall James Marshall's George and Martha stories but, unfortunately, these tales lack the same pizzazz. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)
