Idora

Oversize pages only magnify the sense of ennui in this French import, a melancholy tale about a lonely giraffe. Initial images of Idora show her gazing out the window of her sparsely furnished Paris apartment. The soft light is not dreary, but sepia-tinged indoor details and an impressionistic view of the Seine plus a cloudy sky create a sedate, tamped-down mood; interspersed throughout, wordless two-page spreads convey silence and self-absorption. Idora tells her only companion, a cat named Sinbad, ""All the world's a stage, and I feel like I'm in the audience just watching."" When her apartment building is slated for demolition and all her neighbors move away, Idora is abandoned by Sinbad as well. At her wits' end, Idora buys a one-way ticket south, toward the sea. As she drifts to sleep on the dimly lit train, Idora is shown among a family of giraffes, with Sinbad on her lap. This moment (whether real or imaginary) brings reassurance: ""She no longer felt so lonely.... The world was full of hope."" Yet the naturalistically painted, human-scale giraffe still travels alone, without so much as a suitcase, and her optimism seems premature. The soul-searching here reflects adult anxieties more than elementary-school aspirations. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)