Somewhere in the Bayou

Told in comics-style panels alive with sound words and woodblock-style artwork that befits the story’s folktale feel, this tale by the Pumphrey brothers (The Old Boat) opens as a rabbit, an opossum, a squirrel, and a mouse look for a place to cross a bayou. Pale, milky colors evoke the trees’ cool shadows as the four animals pull up short at the sight of a fat, green tail next to a log in the water. The opossum is first to brave the threat. “There’s only one way past a sneaky tail,” it declares, and tiptoes across the log, which wobbles before a “SMACK” and “SPLASH” see the animal sinking into the drink. The rabbit and the squirrel have their own respective strategies for the “scary” and “mean” tail, resulting in two more splashes. Only the mouse’s curiosity and humility create a different outcome, drawing the owner of the tail to the surface. Underneath the humor, echoes of wisdom can be heard in this sinewy, laugh-out-loud picture book about the way arrogance can lead to disaster. Ages 6–8. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. [em](Mar.) [/em]