THE VOYAGE OF THE POPPYKETTLE

In this awkwardly cut but adventurous adaptation, seven (or maybe five, or some other number, depending on the illustration) insect-sized Hairy Peruvians set sail across the Pacific in a modified Incan teapot, surviving storms, a close encounter with comparatively monstrous Galapagos iguanas and other hazards along the way. In typically impressionistic, Turner-esque style, Ingpen captures the voyage with engrossing drama, pauses for a detailed cutaway view of the rotund vessel and then sets his diminutive, hirsute folk upon an Australian shore—“It was not like Peru, but they would make it their home. Finally, they were home.” He closes with a photo of modern children, who actually celebrate the supposed arrival in a local holiday inspired by this original tale’s first appearance some 20 years ago. Steer readers eager for further adventures of these wee folk to Michael Lawrence’s Poppykettle Papers (2001). (Picture book. 7-9)