CAFE AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS

This appealingly loathsome picture book by Please (Robin Robin) opens as its hero, determined, red-headed human Rene, builds a café at the edge of a dark forest, "beam by beam," then hires Glumfoot, a small green being with pointy ears, to wait tables. Please's sepia-tinged, theatrically lit spreads give the pages a graphic novel feel, creating ample atmosphere for the café and sympathy for its proprietor when no customers appear. Nursery-rhyme meter adds levity: "Perhaps this plot/ is the worst spot?... My hopes and dreams will turn to rot," Rene groans. Then Glumfoot goes out walking and brings back a green ogre whose "knuckles dragged upon the floor." Tension mounts as the ogre requests dishes that Rene feels are too disgusting to consider ("Bats! And slugs and battered mice!"). In a cinema-ready moment, the cook storms off into the kitchen, and the waiter performs a quiet feat of cultural translation, saving the day, and the café. A startling visual mix of elegantly plated restaurant food and friendly horror--extra points for the way Glumfoot makes each dish acceptably revolting--show how collaboration and compassion can yield surprising results. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)