Michaels, Anne. The Adventures of Miss Petitfour. illus. by Emma Block. 144p. ebook available. Tundra. 2015. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781770495005.

Gr 1-4 –Meet Miss Petitfour—baker, adventurer, cat-lover, reader, stamp-collector, and storyteller—and her multitudinous cats in this episodic, begging-to-be-read-aloud illustrated chapter book. Its comedic irreverence and spirited play with words, names, and pirate lore will remind readers of Mary Poppins and Pippi Longstocking. Children will savor the whimsical language and conversational tone as well as the nameless village with its wordless wooden signs (“[T]his village was friendly to all even the youngest who didn’t yet know how to read and to a stranger who spoke a foreign language.”). The bookstore has two sections: the “hum” section, where adventure is king, and the “ho-hum” section, where nothing much happens. There is plenty of hum in this tale, such as the stormy day when Miss Petitfour and her cats get stuck on the bell tower while traveling by a transparent plastic tablecloth “as invisible as the rain itself.” A subplot concerns what makes a good story, explicitly highlighting (in font and tone) words that govern pacing: “Some words are like rays of light, white knights or a safety pin at the right moment…like ‘unbelievably’ or ‘by great fortune.’” Then the author proceeds to use those words herself, ostensibly instructing young ones how to write digressive adventure stories. VERDICT Highly recommended for story lovers of all shapes and sizes.–Sara Lissa Paulson, City-As-School High School, New York City

This review was published in the School Library Journal December 2015 issue.