630 MAPLE STREET

So many reasons to visit this address.

Translated from Polish, Kulesza’s tale satisfies the universal seek-and-find desire, the human curiosity to know what goes on behind closed doors and in other people’s lives, as well as the creative pleasure of constructing narratives that piece together the connections among characters. An opening spread introduces readers to four suburban families who live in an apartment building at 630 Maple Street: a bookstore-owning couple named Olga and Elena, veterinarians Ava and Lee, grandparents Maria and Walter, and Olivia (a writer) and Lee (a chef). All the couples have kids—seven in total—and Ava’s pregnant with another. The cast expands further with another grandmother, a best friend, the building manager, a produce-delivering farmer and his child, two dogs, three cats, a recovering pigeon, and a bee who lives in the garden. Readers are invited to search for Steve the spider, two birds, a mouse, and a mole, then to peek wordlessly into the lives of everyone. Scenes are set both indoors (with dollhouselike cutaways) and outdoors, during every month for the next year. What are they doing? (Not watching screens; there are none.) Who’s visiting whom? What changes are taking place? Readers can simply spot the people and pets they know, focus on the setting, or tell a story or stories. Teal touches enliven the subdued colors in the simple, elegantly constructed cartoon illustrations. Isaac is brown-skinned; most of the other characters are pale-skinned.

Promises hours of creative, interactive diversion.