Elffers (Food Play
) teams up with Curious Pictures, producer of such TV shows as Little Einsteins
, to introduce Snuzzles. Amorphous and solid-colored, the Snuzzles look a lot like rubber squeak toys, with their heads defined only by protrusions for noses and ears and by googly eyes, but they seem destined for the big time, given that an animated video series is in pre-production. A series of exchanges between Snuzzles big and small, the gentle, rhyming text is the straightforward stuff of bedtime rituals. But while the questions are expected, the answers feel fresh (“Would you leave me?/ Never ever./ Do you want me?/ Only forever”). Set against high-contrast, single-color backgrounds, the action takes place at close range, so that just their heads, or parts of their heads, are visible. Some Snuzzles clearly resemble rabbits or elephants, while others merely have bulbous pseudo ears or noses. The flap copy says that the Snuzzles “express their love by putting nose to nose”; readers are likely to follow their example and “snuzzle closer” themselves. Ages 2–5. (Dec.)
