Lucy and Company

In the first of three sweet-natured stories from Dubuc (The Animals’ Ark), Lucy eats her snack on a tree branch, attracting a gang of animal friends: Marcel the mouse, Henry the rabbit, Dot the turtle, and Adrian the snail, who is mistaken for a hazelnut and almost eaten. In the second story, the five go on a treasure hunt. Lucy has the map, and she’s the one with the advice. Small, tender observations add piquancy, as when, instructed to take five steps to the left, there’s a question from Adrian: “Henry steps or Marcel steps?” The snail, Dubuc points out, doesn’t take steps. Simple pencil-and-watercolor pictures show the friends making their way toward the spot, and when Henry digs, sure enough, he finds a present for his birthday. In the third episode, excitement grows as the group discovers three eggs that quickly hatch, later finding an adoptive animal parent whose furry coat and big arms offer the chicks what they need to thrive. Each story features good cheer, tender care among the characters, and the certainty that things will end well. Ages 2–5. (Sept.)