As the setting sun casts a glow over a snowy suburban landscape, a girl in a pink snowsuit imagines that she is a princess preparing a lavish welcome for "the King"—aka Daddy. When it becomes apparent that Daddy is delayed, the girl pretends that she has bravely set out—first on a white stallion, then on a friendly fire-breathing dragon—to "show him the way!" More of a mood piece than a conventional story, the text launches a visual tour de force for Paradis (My Mommy
). Very brief text on realistic spreads sets up the wordless and elaborately rendered flights of fancy that follow. In one such pairing, the girl grandly gestures to a snow-woman to follow her. "I'll summon the lords and ladies to greet him," she says (in a typically succinct passage). On the next spread, a long procession of anthropomorphized animals winds its way up to a golden castle that commands a snowy hilltop. The fantasy pages glow with icy light and feel wonderfully indulgent—Paradis clearly understands how girls daydream. The princess sports a tiara and a puffy, Glinda-style dress, while her animal subjects wear exquisite, individualized attire befitting the supporting cast of a fairy tale. Girls will lap this up like hot chocolate on a chilly day. Ages 2-8. (Nov.)
