Duck and Cat Ride the Riverboat

Cat reluctantly joins chum Duck on a riverboat cruise that turns dire in this early reader graphic novel by Panckeri, making his children’s book debut. When the vessel’s cook falls ill and the evening’s meal and entertainment are canceled, the protagonists are trapped with an increasingly hungry crocodile family who start eyeing their fellow passengers. The bulldog captain initially dismisses the friends’ concerns until realizing, in Duck’s words, that “we could be dinner, and you would be dessert!” The solution? While Cat heads to the kitchen to whip up a meal, Duck provides emergency entertainment. Just as Duck exhausts her repertoire and the crocs reach for the saltshaker, Cat’s culinary creation saves the day, leading to the friends’ shared toast, “to not being on the menu.” Clear-line illustrations and steady-as-she-goes framings serve as a comic foil to Cat and Duck’s mounting panic. Readers with a taste for grim, understated humor should gobble this one up. Ages 4–8. (June)