MAISIE MOO AND INVISIBLE LUCY

Vigorous brushwork and large splotches of saturated reds and purples give the modernist art in this Australian import a wild energy that both complements the blotchy, often hand-lettered text and reflects the character of the young narrator. Maisie lives in the Gone Bonkers Discount Palace, an emporium in the middle of nowhere (or maybe an imagined Venice) that sells “all sorts of stuff. Mainly gondolas.” She introduces herself, her parents, her layabout dog Drongo and her invisible friend Lucy, avoids some chores, then recalls with satisfaction that she got to play “Silent Night” on the drums at the Venice Christmas concert. Though even less scrutable than McKimmie’s Brian Banana Duck Sunshine Yellow (2007), it’s likewise freewheeling, imagination-stretching and, to quote Maisie, “a little bit wonderful.” (Picture book. 6-8)