Skelly & Femur

In this follow-up to Skelly the Skeleton Girl , the cadaverous “Skelly,” who sports prominent eyelashes and a decorative bat in her orange hair, and her dog, Femur, are alarmed when their possessions go missing, including the buttons from Skelly's dress, Femur's bone and items belonging to the other residents of Skelly's mansion. “My umbrella is missing. Now I must stay indoors,” declares a cranky coffin dweller with bat-shaped glasses. The duo is “stumped,” until a noise in the attic leads them to the answer. The story itself jump-cuts rapidly between spooky locations, but Pickering's gothic-cute illustrations exude personality. Ages 4–7. (Aug.)