New Releases by Ashley Spires

Il est intrpide et casse-cou. Il va l o aucun autre chat n''est jamais all! (Mme s''il n''a, en ralit, jamais mis le nez dehors.) Basile est un chat de l''espace; du moins, c''est ce qu''il croit. En vrit, il n''a jamais quitt la station spatiale familiale. Sa mission consiste s''envoler un jour dans l''espace (aller dehors), explorer des lieux inconnus (la cour arrire) et combattre les extraterrestres (les insectes). Tout en protgeant les humains contre les envahisseurs venus de l''espace, Basile apprend construire un vaisseau spatial et s''entrane voyager dans l''espace pour explorer les galaxies. Mais l''entranement est diffi cile et provoque souvent... des boules de poils.

Inspired by the felt animal finger puppets Spires creates, this illustrator''s (The Red Shoes) quirky authorial debut tells of an Antarctic resident who wearies of his fish diet. Tempted by news that creatures in the northern hemisphere lead the good life eating cupcakes, Penguin sets out to sample this treat. But when he flies off under his own power, Walrus and Polar Bear pop out from behind the page (Stop right there!) and inform the bird that penguins can''t fly. The story resumes, with an airplane transporting Penguin to the Arctic; there he again encounters Walrus and Polar Bearbut no cupcakes (he finally gets some on the flight home). If not especially memorable, Spires''s slightly wooden cartoon characters have personality. Adults and kids alike should be amused by the meta-narratives, as well as sidebar notes that correct the characters'' occasional misinformation (after Walrus claims to be on a strict kelp diet: Walruses don''t eat kelp.... Unfortunately this walrus has self-esteem issues. She was trying to meet an unrealistic physical ideal). A humorous story, but like the confection Penguin craves, light in substance. Ages 37. (May) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.