MARIA THE MATADOR

A food obsession takes a girl into a bullfighting arena.

Pigtailed Maria, a Spaniard, has one true love: churros. One is good, many are great. Happily for her, she reads a poster that guarantees a “LIFETIME SUPPLY OF CHURROS TO THE MATADOR LONGEST IN THE ARENA.” Unhappily for her, Maria is not built to fight bulls. The other matadors are scornful of her, but once in the fight they are all bested. It is now Maria’s turn to face that “most ferocious-looking bull.” She walks up to him and does not fight or wave her cape; rather, she invites him to dance. The bull has never heard this request, having only ever faced aggressive opponents. In a lovely double-page spread, the animal and Maria, fan in hand, show off their graceful moves. They are next seen happily enjoying churros at Maria’s table. Memories of another famous bull, Ferdinand, come to mind as beauty bests fighting. While Lambelet’s tale is purposefully pacifist, caregivers dealing with a child who will eat only one food may not appreciate the conclusion; others will wish for a note about churros, a fried dessert. The stylized pencil-and-digital illustrations depict angular humans and animals, and the color palette is primarily browns and purples. The typeface uses bold, capitalized words for emphasis.

It turns out that dance can be good for the stomach.