MAY'S WILD WALK

A sweet woodland fete may fizzle if the hosts cannot find their younger sister.

The three Whiskers sisters—Maya, who has paper-white skin, pink hair, and antlers; Mia, a blue-gray cat with a cheery yellow gaze; and May, the youngest, also paper-white but with orange tresses and wide pink eyes—live in a pastoral wood, where they await the return of their grandfather, the Guardian of the Forest. Only a toddler, May’s kept in the dark when an exciting letter arrives. When her frustrations mount, the precocious toddler stows away with a mail-delivering owl. As Maya and Mia merrily plan their surprise party, they soon discover May’s absence; will they be able to find her in time for their big event? Originally published in France, this bubble-gum graphic import is heavy on cute but unfortunately light on narrative substance. The plotting is little more than pablum, building up to an extremely predictable and saccharine denouement. The worldbuilding is somewhat intriguing, and as this is the first in a series, perhaps subsequent volumes will offer a bit more than fuzzy forest creatures and pink pulchritude. However, the preciously envisioned characters depicted with perky, manga-inspired stylizations may garner favor with some.

As substantive as cotton candy.