Giracula

When a vampire bat bites a giraffe with a sweet tooth—after all, his species has “the longest, the strongest,/ the best necks in sight” —the results aren’t exactly suave. The newly dubbed Giracula’s fangs are adorably petite, his “black, silken cloak” is clearly designed for someone much shorter, and flying poses its own inelegant problems. Most notable, however, is what Giracula now craves: not blood, like a classic vampire, but sweets. His obsession with the town bakery—he can’t resist breaking in and tearing through its stock—is resolved when a young pastry enthusiast becomes his confidante and personal baker. The ending feels abrupt, and Watkins’s rhymes lack zip, but Tuchman draws the gangly protagonist with a googly eyed energy that should amuse readers through the numerous sugar-driven scrapes. Ages 3–7. [em](Aug.) [/em]