Main Street Magic

As readers make their way through a town’s bakery, fish market, and other attractions, they can lift multiple flaps to discover hidden animals and people—despite the title, the book seems less about magic than mischief. The opening patisserie scene is a charmer: the shop’s doors swing open widely in gatefold flaps. After turning the page, readers can find a mouse tucking into a woman’s purchases—a box of macarons. Visual and verbal puns appear throughout Arrhenius’s crisp, clean cartoons (“Purrr-ty Purrrfect” reads the caption beside a freshly coiffed cat at the salon), though some of the references and narration can feel a bit advanced for the target audience (“Beware of the museum guard and his flashlight! Or is he a kindred spirit?”). Even so, there’s much to discover in each stylish scene. Ages 2–4. (Sept.)