Hamlet+enormous Kite CL

With precocious critters drawn in a clean, hard-edged style similar to that of Berkeley Breathed (minus the airbrush), Lies (illustrator of the Flatfoot Fox books) offers a promising picture book, his solo debut. No brooding Danish prince, his Hamlet is an adventure-loving young pig. Against the advice of Quince, his play-it-safe porcupine friend, Hamlet decides to go fly a kite--a huge scarlet dragon of the type used in Chinese New Year's parades. It dwarfs Hamlet and, when it catches a breeze, lifts him into the sky. Quince urges Hamlet to drop back down, but ``the farther up he went, the worse the idea of letting go seemed.'' Finally, a flock of eagles shreds the dragon and the porcine risk-taker plummets toward earth, landing safely in a tree. Kite-sailing readers familiar with the wind's strong tug will have no trouble imagining Hamlet's flight. Lies's most effective angle is a vertiginous close-up of the soaring eagles and kite, with Hamlet in the background and yellow fields far below. Only a few superfluities in the text keep this from being an all-out smash. Lies's rich autumnal palette, meticulously detailed images and ability to sustain narrative tension make him someone to watch. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)