The Rumor

Felix (Tuba Lessons) draws bright-eyed, storybook-sweet animals and then probes their anxieties. A wolf is roaming the hills, Rupert the rabbit learns, and the rumor spreads as each animal carries the tale to his neighbor. With the acuity of a psychoanalyst, Felix makes it clear that the specter of the wolf offers excitement and power, as well as danger. Cleo the tabby cat imagines the wolf armed, naturally, like a feline (“They say he has such sharp claws that he can tear your ears into ribbons!”), while Edgar the elephant, passing the news to Giselle the giraffe, has his own elephantine fantasy: “They say he has such a strong snout that he can vacuum you up for dinner!” In Felix’s drawing, Edgar has already sucked Giselle into his trunk; her dainty feet are all that’s visible. It’s the animals’ friend Wallace who saves the day, offering them safety and mushroom soup. (Shh! Wallace is a wolf, but don’t tell.) Although Felix’s nuanced reading of the human psyche may elude younger readers, there’s plenty of slapstick humor, which makes for a brisk, pointed readaloud. Ages 6–up. (Nov.)