NEW IN TOWN

A crafty bridge troll, suspicious termites, and an ambitious tower project figure into a meticulously detailed and playful outing.

The precariously poised town of Puddletrunk, which rests on an island, has a big problem. Its hundreds of attempts at building a bridge to the outside world continually fail due to termites. That’s to the benefit of Mortimer Gulch, a green bridge troll who is more than happy to keep attempting new bridge projects as long as the town keeps filling his pockets with cash and jewelry. Gulch has a problem of his own: a newly arrived traveling repairman, a man of color, who’s interested in rebuilding the clock tower. The repairman, who’s determined to protect his materials from termites, stands in the way of Gulch’s scheme; it turns out the troll is destroying the bridges himself and blaming the collapses on nonexistent vermin. Gulch’s greed ultimately backfires in a satisfying conclusion that finds the repairman staying to continue improving Puddletrunk. Though the plot is a simple reversal, the book’s comedically styled design, with visual jokes and bits of town business happening along the edges of every page, makes for an extremely engaging read that’s worth repeating. From Gulch’s lemonade and hot dogs to the pinned-up documentation of each bridge project, Cornell’s paintings are stuffed with wit. Even the curling storybook type does a little bit of lifting in a book that doesn’t miss any opportunities to delight. When the town finally overcomes its bridge dilemma, “Everyone enjoy[s] themselves immensely!” Readers will, too. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A towering achievement.