Digital art in an accomplished, painterly style adds both noir atmosphere and plenty of sight gags to this tale of two unsuspecting gourmands who accept an invitation to a weekend’s feasting at the home of a mysterious new neighbor. Glenda and Horace Pork-Fowler, a goose and a pig, respectively, are initially put off when their host fails to appear, but that doesn’t last long as—thanks to an elaborate set of robotic arms—full tables, a stuffed fridge, bountiful picnic hampers, and comfy beds await them. For readers who miss the clues provided by Eatum Hall’s collection of art featuring wolves and prey, and shelves filled with wolfish bric-a-brac, Kelly provides glimpses of a snout withdrawing into the shadows, a furry silhouette watching a bank of closed-circuit TV screens, and a blueprint for an oversized pie-making appliance. When that device fails beneath the weight of its rotund intended victims, the Pork-Fowlers obliviously motor back to their own home, Dunfastin, leaving readers to admire their unwavering devotion to mealtime—and to laugh as their supposed nemesis is hoist by his own pie-tard. A confection, but a delicious one. (Picture book. 6-9)
