BEST THING EVER!

A young bat gets a bit greedy on a grocery store trip but eventually learns what truly matters.

As this story translated from French opens, Pascaline and her mother (anthropomorphic bats) are off to the forest supermarket. “It’s an amazing place, tucked inside a huge oak tree.” Charming illustrations, rendered in watercolor, pastel, pencil, and fluorescent pink crayon, depict the setting in a cross-section showing the various animals who go there to shop. Once inside, Pascaline ends up confusing needs with wants. She pleads for various items, all of which befit her chiropteran nature (“locust lollipops!” and “crispy crickets!” and “wing glitter!” and “sparkly slug slippers!”), and declares each the “best thing ever!” When her mother wisely doesn’t relent, a somewhat puzzling twist ensues as Pascaline’s “weeping and wailing” turns her into a sluglike creature. Transformed, she proves irresistible to a passing bluebird, who seizes her and flies away. She wriggles free while in flight over a field, drops to the ground, and meets some snails. After finding a shell to cover her slug body, she tags along with them, yet though she may look the part, she can’t agree that a lettuce leaf is the “best thing ever,” and she becomes homesick. All’s well that ends well when Pascaline is reunited with her mother, whose embrace is the “best thing ever,” after all. The adventure is enjoyably surreal, and the conclusion is heartwarming, though some readers may be confused by Pascaline’s transformation.

Sweet storytelling, with something perhaps lost in translation.