ZELDA AND IVY AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR

The charming red fox siblings (Zelda and Ivy, 1998, not reviewed) make a new friend when the fox next door, Eugene, enters their lives. In the first picture-book chapter, “Romance,” Eugene falls madly in love with Zelda, and joins the sisters in play; when Zelda consistently rejects his proposals of marriage, he transfers his affections to Ivy. In “Pirates,” Zelda and Eugene play pirates in the tree house, while Ivy has been declared “too little to play.” Resourceful Ivy buries a treasure and finds her way into the game. In “Camping Out,” Zelda and Ivy try to fall asleep outside in their sleeping bags. Kvasnosky captures the love and tug of siblings, and evokes a simple world of neighborhood play. The illustrations are sprightly and humorous; an economic use of line and detail convincingly depicts the bossiness of Zelda, the wistfulness of Eugene, and the high hopes of little Ivy. (Picture book. 6-9)