WAKE UP, POPPYVILLE!

The nighttime antics of a busy town come to life when blueberry milk is concerned.

Two travelers check into their hostel at dusk. Once midnight hits, they plunge into the heart of Poppyville to see the city for themselves. Objects and characters, initially depicted as black silhouettes against purple/pink watercolor skies, take on depth and color as our little avatars observe the sights, sounds, and definite tastes of the town. As color fills the pages, the cast is revealed to be anthropomorphized flora and fauna. Youngsters head to school, lines form at the creamery that makes the best blueberry milk, and at last the travelers arrive at their ultimate destination, Delilah’s Toy Shop. By the time the sun has started to rise, almost everyone’s prepping for bedtime. The sheer levels of excitement, coupled with the kind of art that entices the eye to flit all over a page, give this book a distinctly Richard-Scarry-meets-Mardi-Gras feel. As young readers begin to recognize the characters, they’ll take a definite interest in locating them from page to page to page. The book aims for a timeless quality, in both its storytelling and cut-paper illustrations, and succeeds in this endeavor.

It’s easy to follow the crowd when it’s this attractive. A book built for poring over.