Dirt + Water = Mud

Hannigan (Gwendolyn Grace) introduces a heroine whose imagination soars sky-high as she plays with her dog. The endpapers offer a preview of the creative role-play within, presenting a bird’s-eye view of the girl’s yard complete with a key (“tree house = airplane”; “front porch = pirate ship”). Equations set up the girl’s pretend-play scenarios (“Sheet + Flowerpot + Stick = Her Majesty, the Queen”), and Hannigan uses watercolors and digital embellishments to bring the fantasies to life. The merging of mathematical equations and imaginative play is clever, but the story falls short in a few areas. The girl and her faithful dog (who serves as her trusty knight, first mate on a pirate ship, and more) are expressive, but the rough-hewn watercolor portraits never feel at home in their slickly digital surroundings. A couple of potentially jarring moments during their adventures—the girl jumps from her tree house using a bed sheet as an (ineffective) parachute and later pretends to drown in her kiddie pool—leave this equation not quite adding up. Ages 4–8. [em]Agent: Victoria Wells Arms, Wells Arms Literary. (July) [/em]