cover image The French Fry King

The French Fry King

Rogé, trans. from the French by Alison Morgan. Tundra, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-77049-350-6

Roger the sausage dog rockets from obscurity to the ownership of an internationally famous chain of french fry stands (“This dog’s cooking skills are exceptional!” says one customer), but it’s not enough; he wants more out of life. “People only love me for my fries,” he frets. Fortunately for Roger, happiness—in the form of an entrepreneurial poodle named Charlotte—plies a similar trade in a food cart not far away. Rogé (Noah’s Bark) clearly shares some personality traits with his hero. In a series of arch and quirky paintings, even walk-on characters get close attention (a chic mother checks her phone as she walks along with her son, who’s dressed in a Batman costume), and inventive thinking abounds (the French Fry King has elongated T-shirts designed to mimic his body shape, seen on one of his fans). While younger readers may be puzzled by Roger’s ennui—why shouldn’t being the French Fry King make him happy?—and the love-story ending may be a bit cornball, Roger’s a memorable guy, and his discovery of fame and love makes good entertainment. Ages 4–7. (May)