ELIOT JONES, MIDNIGHT SUPERHERO

Mild-mannered bookworm by day, international troubleshooter by night! Little Eliot, with curly red hair like his mother and large round red-framed eyeglasses, is a model child. Quiet and obedient, he reads nearly all day and regularly feeds his pet goldfish. But at night, when all are sleeping, Eliot dons his superhero garb (green cape and boots and briefs featuring a gold “E”) and flies all over the world solving major (and minor) problems. Among the former: He helps the Coast Guard rescue a ship from dangerous rocks, uses code-cracking skills to find the Queen’s stolen jewels and launches a rocket that bursts a meteor on a collision course with Earth. He also finds time to return lost teddy bears. Cottinger’s delightful fantasy is ably abetted by Smith’s scruffy mixed-media illustrations, busy and bright and full of additional jokes (such as the ocean liner that sports the name “The Rubber Ducky” and a bemused mountain goat he buzzes by in the Himalayas). Walter Mitty–class drollery that should appeal to children and adults alike. (Picture book. 4-7)