Two small, stoic fishermen sail around the world on an ice floe, having various nautical adventures with minimal fuss and arriving home in time for bed. In each spread, understated four-word couplets by Crowley (Ugh! A Bug!
) accompany Day’s (Duel!: Burr and Hamilton’s Deadly War of Words
) loose pencil-and-watercolor paintings. The pair’s trip begins when a fishing line gets snagged on an orca and they’re towed dragged into the ocean at top speed (“Salty brine/ Floating free/ Tangled line/ Out to sea”). Later, a flock of puffins chasing fish creates a giant wake; Nanook and Pryce’s pet husky frightens potential predators away (“Round and round/ Warning barks/ Fearless hound/ Scaredy sharks”); and a detour into the tropics necessitates suntan lotion as well as sunglasses for the husky. Through it all, Nanook and Pryce sit across from each other unperturbed, their expressionless faces barely visible from within the puffy hoods of their oversize parkas. It’s a great running joke, and Crowley’s verse and Day’s tongue-in-cheek spreads are as well-paired as Nanook and Pryce. Ages 3–8. (Nov.)
