LUCKY MONKEY, UNLUCKY MONKEY

In this exploration into the nature of luck, Ed and Ted seem alike in most ways, but one is lucky, the other unlucky. Ed greets the sunny day with cheer, while Ted’s day is filled with clouds. As the day progresses, Ed makes friends and finds treasure. Ted, meanwhile, is chased by enemies and a club-swinging troll, until he lands in a foul-smelling swamp. The following day their situations reverse and their moods invert: Ed’s bleak day is unlucky; Ted’s bright day is lucky. Kaczman’s flat, stylized illustrations are handsomely modern. Told in six short chapters and an epilogue, rich with symbols, words and pictures to compare and contrast and assisted by the humorous (lightly instructional) asides of tiny animals, this might puzzle those who believe you make your own luck. The message that if today is unlucky, tomorrow could be lucky carries a certain satisfying verisimilitude, but beware, the contrary may not seem as pleasantly acceptable. (Picture book. 5-8)