Secret Tree Fort

Two sisters are sent outside to play, and the younger girl tries desperately to tempt her older sibling away from the book she’s reading by dropping alluring details about her “secret tree fort” in a “super-secret tree” nearby. Working in mixed media, Farley (Ike’s Incredible Ink) lavishes attention on two things: the siblings’ ultra-emotive faces—the older girl mostly exists in a place of quiet irritation, while the younger sister shifts from sly scheming to glee to growing frustration—and the joyful imaginings of a pretend fort that has everything. (Amenities include a rope ladder, a water-balloon launcher—a pirate and two dopey-looking monsters are forever attacking the fort—a crow’s nest, and an underground viewing area where the girl can play board games with whales.) Farley knows that, for many kids, the imagining can be as good as the having, and while the older girl eventually takes pity on her sister, the story reveals a keen emotional understanding of the frustration of being unable to bend a loved but dissimilar sibling to one’s will. Ages 4–8. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Apr.)