PINE & BOOF
The Lucky Leaf
From the Pine & Boof series
by Ross Burach ; illustrated by Ross Burach
Meet Pine the Porcupine and Boof the Bear and the lucky red leaf that brings them together.
Boof loves to collect and play with stuff he finds in the forest. But out of all his discoveries, he loves his lucky red leaf the most. Naturally, misfortune soon befalls the good-natured bear: he loses his buddy during a “very windy day.” In one fantastic double-page spread, Burach (I Am Not a Chair!, 2017, etc.) depicts Boof’s loss in a tragic sequence, skillfully injecting a trace of emotional resonance to the story. What’s Boof to do without his leafy pal? Enter Pine, a wannabe adventurer—and a klutz. The plucky porcupine offers his help, and the newly formed duo heads off to search for Boof’s leaf. After looking everywhere, even in Boof’s underwear, Pine and Boof find the leaf on a sleeping boar’s snout. A mad dash follows, as the duo swings from a vine (which turns out to be a snake) and gets stuck in a log. The illustrations feature action and bright colors on each page, depicting the wacky antics with dynamic energy. Burach’s dry narratorial voice frames Pine and Boof’s adventure in a sardonic attitude that pokes light fun at the somewhat commonplace story. Alas, Boof’s leaf escapes the duo’s clutches, but Boof discovers something better in the end: a new friend.
A predictable yet humorous origin story for an endearing pair.
(Picture book. 4-8)