What a Lucky Day!

Four animal anglers head individually to a waterside dock, each hoping to catch some dinner. Based solely on superstition or misinformation, each is certain that other animals they run into will stymie their efforts at fishing. A stork, seeing a black cat, worries that bad luck will follow; the cat, running into a raccoon, is sure that the “masked bandit” will steal the fish. The raccoon believes that a frog will give him warts, and the frog hopes that the stork won’t crowd the pier with infants. When fortune favors everyone with a fish—“WHAT A LUCKY DAY!” —the misconceptions are aired and corrected (“Warts are caused by a virus. Not by me,” says the frog testily), prompting sheepish apologies and a communal fish feast. Cartoonist Awan makes an A+ picture book debut that warns against assumptions—his boldly graphic pictures combine the pop and verve of classic WPA posters with a contemporary expression and top-notch comic timing. Ages 3–5. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio. [em](Oct.) [/em]