OLLIE & MOON

Ollie and Moon, two energetic, wide-eyed Parisian cats, are the best of friends. Moon, always dressed in red, loves surprises, and luckily Ollie, completing the French tricolor with a blue-and-white striped French sailor shirt and beret, loves to surprise her. But as much as Moon loves receiving surprises, she loves trying to guess what they are even more. When Ollie announces that he has a new surprise for Moon, he leads the way through the streets of Paris, with occasional stops along the way offering clues. À la Mo Willems’ Knuffle Bunny books, color photographs of the Arc de Triomphe, the Metro, a fruit stand and other traditional Paris sights act as background to cartoon drawings in this spirited picture-book debut. Trying to quell his growling stomach, Ollie stops first at a fromagerie to buy some Brie. “My surprise is…ROUND,” deduces Moon. “Yes, but that’s not all it is,” Ollie answers as they continue their trek. Just when Moon seems weary, Ollie knows how to cheer her up with a quick break to take funny snapshots in front of Parisian icons. Then it’s back to guessing Ollie’s best surprise yet, which is sure to wow young children as much as it does Moon. Bien fait. (Picture book. 3-7)