Click, Clack, Moo I Love You!

Little Duck has big plans for Valentine’s Day in this exuberant addition to Cronin and Lewin’s long-running series. Cronin has fun detailing Little Duck’s preparations (“She tied balloons to... everything. She hung streamers from... everything”), as well as the social dynamics at the party (“The sheep headed right for the chips and salsa”). When a young fox shows up uninvited, the animals are startled, but Little Duck invites Little Fox in, and the party is all the better for it: animals that had been keeping to themselves on the dance floor start to mix it up. Lewin’s watercolors are as expressive and playful as ever (though they are covered with an inordinate amount of glitter accents, even for Valentine’s Day), and Cronin subtly passes along some sage advice: the best parties have an element of the unexpected. Ages 4–8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Dec.)