RUFFEN

Having gained natatorial prowess (Ruffen: The Sea Serpent Who Couldn’t Swim, 2008), little Ruffen’s ready to explore the world, and when his Aunt Nessie invites him for a visit, off he goes. It’s a long way to Scotland, so he hitches a ride in the mouth of Henry the whale (“One time I had a man living here for more than three days. I think his name was Jonah”) but is apprehended on the overland leg of the journey and imprisoned in a zoo. He quickly stages a zoobreak and carries all the former captives (who fend off their would-be re-captors with a mammoth fart) to Loch Ness, where Aunt Nessie serenades them all with the bagpipes. Hansen decorates his black-and-white line drawings with jewel-toned accents, equipping all his characters with big, sad eyes and Ruffen with a distinctive mop of hair. Kooky details keep this overlong Norwegian import from sinking entirely into its daft illogic: Nessie sports tartan spots; the zoo is located in “The-Town-With-The-Name-No-One-Can-Say.” Still, the nonending of an ending will disappoint readers who have grown fond of Ruffen and his pals. (Picture book. 5-8)