Three

A small, city-dwelling stray with a sunny disposition is unruffled by his missing right foreleg: “Every day was a skip and a hop for Three.” He occasionally considers seeking out a home or family, but “mostly he walked from here to there, or wherever his nose led.” He sniffs his way around, categorizing other living creatures he encounters by the number of legs they have, such as the ant he spies on a city sidewalk: “Three was happy that little six legs had an underground home, far away from busy feet.” When Three finds his way into the country, he encounters many new kinds of creatures and configurations of legs—including a friendly being who offers companionship and love. A focus on leg counting and unwavering positivity (“He was happy he didn’t have four legs. If Three had four legs, he might be a chair”) in the face of disability and housing uncertainty may be disconcerting for some readers. Loose-lined mixed-media drawings by King (Wandering Star), though, offer a wealth of city stores, sidewalk scenes, and map-like streets, through which Three’s path appears as a dotted red line as he follows a shift in circumstances. Ages 4–8. [em](Apr.) [/em]