The Battle of the Vegetables

When readers tire of comforting bedtime tales, they can revel in this trio of darkly funny vegetable comics from a French team making their U.S. debut. In the first, leeks in a garden bed fall for a smooth-talking cow that convinces them that she is one of Santa’s reindeer. “The leeks don’t believe their ears. Right there, smiling at them over their fence, is one of Santa’s reindeer!” The cow explains that she is headed home: “If you want, I’ll take you with me!” The leeks line up eagerly, and the narrator bids them goodbye (“They’ll return from the adventure changed, no doubt”) as they march right into the cow’s open mouth. In the second tale, the garden’s snarky carrots (“Those leeks are so stupid!”) plot to escape and tunnel into a rabbit warren—oops! In the third, Romeo the leek falls in love with Julienne the carrot (get it?), and the leeks and the carrots feud. Vegetables who feud make tasty soup, readers learn. While it’s not for the tenderhearted, mischief-minded children will howl with laughter. Ages 6–9. (Feb.)