Mister Horizontal & Miss Vertical

Inspired by a lighthearted photograph by René Maltête (reproduced at the end of the book), debut talents Révah and Zagnoli unspool a stylish story of opposites attracting. Mister Horizontal is an enormously long-legged man with a horizontally striped black-and-white shirt and a love of all things close to the ground (“He likes ants and other insects that march in long lines”). Miss Vertical has a large triangular dress, a vertically striped top, and an appreciation for dizzying heights (“She is crazy about rockets”). His arms are frequently pictured as a circle, hers outstretched above her head—together, their bodies recall the XO symbol of kisses and hugs. Zagnoli takes a disciplined approach to her crisp, modern illustrations, which use simplified shapes and a focused palette of primary colors. As a piece of design, it’s impeccable, with vertically and horizontally striped elements extending to the endpapers and book jacket. As a romance, though, it’s cerebral and cold; the two never appear together except in the final pages, where it’s revealed that they have a child—whose preference for plaid shows exactly where he comes from. Ages 3–7. [em](Oct.) [/em]