A SPREE IN PAREE

Anyone for a quick day trip to Paris? A muttered comment from hardworking Monsieur Monmouton that he needs a vacation is all the prompting his livestock needs to pile into the car. Gallic to the core, the farmer shrugs, “Eh bien, let’s go!” And they’re off: to check out the fashions on the Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré; drift up and down the Seine in a bateau mouche; view the city from atop the Eiffel Tower; then dance the cancan at the Follies Bergère. Stock depicts Parisian sights and streets, as well as their urbane residents, in freely brushed watercolors that expertly capture both the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone, and the animals’ unflagging enthusiasm. The next morning, Monsieur Monmouton wearily rounds up his furred and feathered tour group, vowing never to take another holiday—but the sheep, chickens, and the rest are already nose/muzzle/beak deep in New York City travel brochures. Will young armchair tourists line up for repeat visits? Mais oui. (Picture book. 6-8)