Super Happy Magic Forest (Super Happy Magic Forest #1)

Gr 1-3--Five heroes (a satyr, a gnome, a fairy, a unicorn, and a mushroom) embark on an epic quest to retrieve the stolen Mystical Crystals of Life and bring happiness back to their home, the Super Happy Magic Forest. They traverse frozen mountains, face warmongering penguins, and cross the Super Creepy Haunted Forest (where picnics are forbidden) in search of the Goblin Tower, where they believe the crystals are being held. Is their quest successful? Readers will happily find out in this hilariously silly epic quest. While the simple text reads like a straightforward story about danger and daring, illustrations and plentiful speech bubbles elicit giggles on every page. Bright cartoon art never takes itself seriously, depicting amusing interpretations of the text. On one spread, the heroes form a human chain off a cliff to retrieve the gnome's hat, encounter a cave-dwelling creature in love with a shiny gold ring, and lament bad directions when they get lost in a desert. Silly speech-bubble asides will keep younger readers giggling as soldier penguins wonder, "Okay, who took my frying pan?" while more sophisticated readers will enjoy the mushroom's panic when he can't feel his legs (spoiler: he doesn't have any). VERDICT A great choice for independent or one-on-one reading, this playful story will be popular among those looking for fun and adventure.--Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, La Crosse Public Library, WI