Moo Moo in a Tutu

Miller (Margarash) hurls readers into the world of two friends, a cow and a duck, letting his exuberant cartoons fill in details about their personalities and temperaments. “Mr. Quackers, I just had the best idea in the whole world!” shouts Moo Moo as the book opens; the cow is staring out the window at the ballet across the street, leaving little doubt about what’s on her mind. “Another one?” replies mallard Mr. Quackers, calmly pruning his bonsai. In a rapid sequence of events, Moo Moo throws together a homemade tutu, and the friends head to the theater. Her performance, which sends the young human ballerinas a’tumbling, is a show-stopper: an epic aerial spread shows Moo Moo soaring blissfully above an awestruck (and slightly nervous) crowd, before landing in a bass drum. And then it’s on to the friends’ next adventure. Despite Moo Moo’s irrepressible enthusiasm, neither friend exhibits much personality in this series opener (Mr. Quackers’s incredulous “Are you for real?!” tagline is particularly flat), but there’s something appealing in the way they just do their thing, heedless of what the world (or readers) might think. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)