If You Run Out of Words

Getting ready for bedtime, a child, portrayed with pale skin, sees their mustachioed father, shown with light brown skin, hunched over and tapping intently into a smartphone. “What happens if you run out of words?” the young protagonist asks. “Will you have any left for me?” Momentarily taken aback, Dad quickly comes up with a story about an underground “Elves’ Word Factory”—depicted in an elaborate cutaway—where he can purchase an “infinity bottle” of words. But the vivid story prompts the equally imaginative child to ask a series of what-if questions that catalyze an extended narrative featuring Dad as the star. Mixed-media vignettes by Sala (My Dog and I) conjure up whimsical details, warm palettes, and avid characters as Dad, clad in bright yellow pajamas, travels up a tree, into space and underwater, and onto a mouse pirate ship. As lights-out approaches, Dad proves his storytelling mettle, reassuring his child that he’ll never run out of words—especially the three most important ones. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Apr.)