The Arguers

In the quarrelsome kingdom where this picture book is set, the thing common to all inhabitants is their elaborately coiffed, flowing hairstyles. Similarity aside, it’s a full-on battle royale: what starts as a spat about the effectiveness of brush versus comb in detangling the king’s serpentine beard expands across the kingdom until everyone “could argue forward and backward, right side up, and upside down.” Luyken (The Tree in Me) adds that the opponents quarrel in all weather, and relish arguing not only with each other but also with flowers, fences, doorknobs, the wind—“even with the smallest of stones in the road.” Soon, the royals hold a contest to decide who’s the realm’s best arguer, but when the king’s luxuriant beard catches fire, everyone quickly forgets their differences and becomes part of an impromptu bucket brigade. As the kingdom’s residents move from clashes to cooperation via an elegant, classic fairy tale tone, watercolor, ink, pencil, and gouache drawings combine the prickly energy of Ralph Steadman with the swooping lines of art nouveau style. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. (May)