Weasels

“Weasels. What do you think they do all day?” asks debut author Dolan, and her answer—which has nothing to do with animal behavior and everything to do with world domination—marks her as a talent to watch. In the first of many carefully inked, densely populated, and literally laugh-out-loud spreads, the weasels are seen gathered in a war room, plotting moves on a giant strategy map of the world as their fearless, monocle-wearing leader pets a mouse; it’s Dr. Strangelove meets Goldfinger meets Meerkat Manor. There’s just one hitch: their success hinges on a very large, very complicated gizmo called the MACHINE, which is currently reporting a status of “IT’S BROKEN.” As the weasels put their best minds to work figuring out the problem, Dolan fills her pages with visual and verbal jokes about coffee obsessions, tech geeks, bureaucracy, and unsafe workplace practices (“I’m entirely confident that this huge drill will fix everything,” declares one weasel unconvincingly). Will the weaselly weasels make the fix and carry out their dastardly plan? Dolan leaves readers hanging—but they won’t mind a bit. Ages 5–8. (Feb.)