THE LOTS-OF-TIME MACHINE

No one has time to play with Fifi.

In her tutu and crown, a young raccoon named Fifi tells her dog, Felix, that she needs someone to play with. She asks various family members, but everyone’s too busy. Momma’s fixing the plumbing, Peapaw’s doing yoga, and Daddy’s cooking. Poor Fifi. Felix wants to play fetch, but Fifi has other ideas. She and Felix steal something from each adult and build a Lots-of-Time Machine in the backyard out of boxes and blankets. When she and Felix trick the adults into joining them in the yard, Fifi tells them it costs 10 minutes to enter the machine, where they can play games and read stories together. When Felix accidentally pulls down the machine, Fifi helps Momma and Daddy with their chores while Peapaw builds a new tent for play in the yard. Though the ultimate message is that family time is the best time, readers may wonder why the young protagonist ignores a perfectly good playmate in her puppy, and the Lots-of-Time machine doesn’t really make sense even with toddler logic: It’s unclear why the adults suddenly have time for Fifi or why they aren’t frustrated that she’s taken items that belong to them. The illustrations, rendered in watercolor and digital media, are serviceable, but the oddly football-headed raccoons seem out of place against the backdrops.

Readers needn’t make time for this one.