PERFECTLY ARUGULA

Gauche guest rescues dull party, teaching host a lesson. Everything is clean and bright in hedgehog Arugula’s house. (Her coiffed quills resemble a Mohawk, and she wears pearls.) As she cleans and practices the piano and does her daily yoga, she hatches the delicious idea of a tea party for her friends. These include Pansy the mouse, Basil the raccoon, Pistachio the beaver et al. Arugula makes a point of not inviting the raucous squirrel Fidget, who zooms by on a skateboard. Arugula’s house looks impeccable for the party, and her lavish spread entices the guests, but she makes them uncomfortable with petty criticisms about dropping crumbs and not using coasters and handling the delicate tea set roughly. Social failure looms when Fidget bursts in and loosens things up; soon everybody’s dancing, even the (at first) reluctant Arugula. Dillard’s crisp illustrations—in colored pencil, watercolor and gouache—and the book’s design mimic 1950s styles with flair. Nifty, though the prose doesn’t match the visual drollery. (Picture book. 3-6)