HAVE A GOOD TRIP, MOUSSE!

The mostly solitary protagonist of A Day With Mousse (2024) leaves home for his first vacation.

Mousse, a long-snouted, skinny-legged, green-and-white-striped creature, wakes up to a rainy day. He’s accustomed to damp surroundings; each morning, the sea washes into his house, and he gathers and sells the shells that come with it. But “everything that usually makes him happy is getting him down today.” When startlingly few treasures wash up inside Mousse’s home, he’s confused: Where has everyone gone? A neighboring limpet tells him that most of the sea creatures have headed south for their summer holiday. So Mousse boards a train and finds himself at a crowded seaside resort. He invites his walrus friend Barnacle to join him, and they revel in spa activities. Mousse’s jealousy is aroused when Barnacle befriends Felix, a toothy, red-and-white-striped creature, but despite their rocky beginnings, the duo swiftly become a happy trio. Once again, sophisticated but accessible prose translated from French combines with airy, gently humorous artwork that depicts a world populated by sweetly strange denizens. Though the earlier book had more laugh-out-loud moments—largely due to sight gags that contradicted the text—this one is just as delightful. Lebourg once more speaks lovingly to the simple joys of quotidian life.

A charming outing.