March Grand Prix: The Fast and the Furriest

In what reads like a love letter to racing comics like Speed Racer, Soo (Jellaby) presents a highly entertaining trio of stories about March Hare, a talented racer who's a good sport, too. In the first story, March must enlist the help of his large and enthusiastically supportive family to beat his win-at-all-costs competitor, Lyca Fox, in a street race; after March's hot hatch is damaged during the race, he borrows a side mirror and quarter panel from his parents' station wagon. In the second tale, March and his eager porcine mechanic, Hammond, help one of March's sisters deliver apple tarts in her VW bus; Soo labels various vehicles' features throughout, and he gives a hilarious schematic breakdown of the apple tarts, too, pointing out their "brown sugar butter glaze" and "p%C3%A2te sucr%C3%A9e base." The stories are filled with puns and literary references (March Hare's name evokes both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Speed Racer's Japanese name, Mach GoGoGo), while Soo's clear-line illustrations keep the stories moving full throttle and reveal an evident automotive passion. Ages 7%E2%80%9310. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary Agency. (Aug.)