THE MOON IS A BALL

Panda and Squirrel team up in simple stories about a friendship.

Within this usually supportive and considerate odd couple, Squirrel is slightly more resourceful and reasonable; Panda often grumbles. Snail’s pace challenges their patience, and his “weird” (i.e., thought-provoking) questions just irritate Panda—though she later advocates curiosity herself. When Panda pretends to be cranky at being disturbed, Fox insultingly calls her black spots “grubby.” The pair find an unhatched egg and care for it; they pass a day discovering that no game suits both. When a fall gives Panda amnesia, Squirrel reminds her of all they’ve done together. Both are capable of deception and manipulation. They know that the moon is a sphere but not that the Earth is. They experience conflict, sadness, contentment, homesickness, fear, embarrassment, and frequent annoyance. Minimalist illustrations break up the text on each page, adding lots of green and some touches of blue, red, and brown to a spare, expressive line that suits these spare tales. Frog and Toad, or Elephant and Piggie, they’re not; the characterization is simple, and they lack the closeness of the former pair and the verve of the latter, aiming for more basic interactions. Still, the tales, translated from Dutch, are enjoyable and will hold readers’ attention.

Low-key friends and not-too-dramatic adventures can be enough sometimes.