The Fog

Maclear (The Liszts) and Pak (When the World Is Dreaming) deliver readers to an icy island overtaken by a persistent fog in this haunting but hopeful allegory. On the island, a yellow bird named Warbler observes human visitors through binoculars; the fog impedes this habit, but more alarming is its effect on the island's residents. "I wouldn't even call it fog, a offers a blackbird. Mist, maybe." An owl suggests acceptance: "Sometimes these things happen." With the aid of a human girl, a "red-hooded spectacled female (juvenile)," to be precise, Warbler draws attention to the situation, and that very awareness lifts the fog. The message that the first step to addressing a problem is acknowledging its existence is an important one, whatever the issue at hand, and Pak's airy mixed-media images smartly play moments of humor against an understated sense of menace. NB: the hilarious scientific classifications for ballplayers ("#674 swift red-capped pitcher"), beatniks ("#664 American bushy-browed surf-head"), children ("#659 whooping bare-chested male"), and other human specimens on the endpapers are not to be missed. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator's agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency. (May)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2—A small yellow warbler lives on an icy island in the far north. Warble is different from the other birds; he is a serious human-watcher ("#671 BEHATTED BIBLIOPHILIC FEMALE," "#672 BALD-HEADED GLITZY MALE"). One day a warm fog rolls in, and it stays. Warble worries about this change but fails to galvanize his other feathered neighbors, who cannot be bothered. The situation grows worse, and Warble is more isolated and concerned until he spots a new human, "#673 RED-HOODED SPECTACLED FEMALE (JUVENILE)." The two join forces ("CHIRP! CHIRP!" "I'M LISTENING!"). Together, after launching many folded paper boats, they manage to locate other allies around the world—a note from a walrus in eastern Canada, one from a musk ox in Norway, and one from some cats in England. These creatures, too, see the fog and want to fix it, and thus the fog begins to lift and the world around them grows clearer. The pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations capture the spirit of the story, the beauty of the landscape, and the haunting fog while also adding just the right amount of humor to balance the serious theme. The endpapers cataloguing Warble's human sightings are a treat. The parable-style tale keeps the solution metaphorical and the message clear. VERDICT This thoughtful selection, full of amusing details, has much to offer readers and listeners who are thinking about the importance of the environment and the need to come together to care for it.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA