Freddie & Gingersnap

Freddie is a green dinosaur, Ginger-snap is a purple dragon, and their species normally “stayed as far away from each other as possible.” But fate, gravity, and Kirsch (The Chandeliers) bring them together, and after some initial posturing they uncover a mutual love for noisemaking (“they snip-snapped their sharp tiny teeth”), chasing, and attempting to fly. And when it really counts—whether they’re falling off a cliff (depicted in a vertical gatefold) or finally taking to the air—the two friends are there for each other. Kirsch’s naïf drawing style gives the spreads a kooky 1960s feel; his characters’ slight, childlike bodies, long spiny tails, and saucerlike eyes are undeniably adorable. The story is hard to track, however, and its lackadaisical use of sound cues and repetition (“Fredddie swirled and twirled and whirled. Gingersnap whirled and twirled and swirled”) comes across more like an attempt to cover up a lack of story than a means to draw readers in. In many ways, this reads like a setup to a series, and not a standalone work. Ages 4–6. Agent: Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis. (Dec.)