THE MAGICAL LIFE OF MR. RENNY

What painter wouldn’t be thrilled if everything he painted became real?

Say hello to Mr. Renny, a likable, bug-eyed, floppy-eared dog artist, wearing a one-button yellow jacket over a red-and-white striped tunic. When no one buys his paintings at the market, a strange man tells him to eat the apple in his painting; it turns real, and suddenly all of Mr. Renny’s paintings spring to life. With his new magical touch, he paints all of the things he’s ever wanted: hot dogs, desserts, a car, a ship, etc. However, when his friend Rose wants to buy a real painting, he explains that she can’t. How to fix his dilemma? Aha, he paints the man who began the whole thing to reverse the charm. Everything vanishes, and Rose gets a special painting (a rose). Whimsical illustrations bring the story to life. All of the characters are bug-eyed animals except for the mysterious, bowler-topped man. Scenes are dotted with such clever details as an alligator with a baby buggy holding two watermelons, an elephant with a Burberry plaid wheeled cart and a giraffe driving a speedboat. The appealing cover of Mr. Renny with paintbrush and palette, flying in an airplane will draw attention.

Kids won’t recognize the homage to René Magritte or the elements of King Midas and "The Fisherman and His Wife," they’ll just be busy giggling over the animated images.