Silly Boobies: A Love Story

The red-footed boobies live on one island, the blue-footed boobies on another, and each population likes to taunt the other with cheers of “BEST! PPPBHT!” But when two bibliophile birds engrossed in their reading accidentally crash into each other on the landscape’s third island, “They looked. Not at each other’s feet. They looked into each other’s eyes.” The meet-cute seems poised for unnecessary judgment, but the couple can’t resist each other’s goofy charms and love of reading. Weyant (Hudson and Tallulah Take Sides) depicts their deepening attraction, expressed in silly courtship dances and rituals, with affectionate ink and watercolor cartoons. Determined not to be star-crossed, the feathered Romeo and Juliet are married by a hermit crab—the officiant is ordained, Dyckman (Don’t Blow Your Top!) notes, “thanks to a certificate he got on the internet.” When their egg produces a purple-footed fluffball, hearts on the opposing communities promptly melt, bringing an end to the Sneetch-like rift. True love prevails and unites in this booby-centered telling, which hints that one needn’t be a grown-up to savor the pleasures of a well-told rom-com. More about the seabirds concludes. Ages up to 7. Author’s agent: Scott Treimel, Scott Treimel NY. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Sept.)