Henry in Love (review)

It starts as an ordinary day for Henry; he wakes up, eats breakfast, grabs his lunch, and heads off to school; there he yearns after Chloe, "the loveliest girl in his class." A game of tag allows Henry the opportunity to chase Chloe all over the playground, and a fortuitous change in seating assignments moves him next to his dream girl. Then Henry swaps his beautiful blueberry muffin for Chloe's carrot, she thanks him with a big grin, and all is right in Henry's world. This is romance at its preschool best, highlighted by perfectly executed cartwheels and lovely blue pastries, and McCarty (Hondo and Fabian) maintains just the right splash of sweetness. The storyline, though slim, is brought vividly to life in the delicately detailed ink and watercolor illustrations, with hatching lines so close and slender as to suggest colored pencil. The figures (Henry is a cat, Chloe a rabbit) are composed largely in animal-appropriate browns with subtle splashes of pastel color in their clothing, and the illustrations are set against big, bold fields of cream-colored space. There is a definite sophistication in the minimalist compositions that suits the simple love story, and the art is touched by occasional humor, as in the fields of poppies and violets that appear at Chloe's feet when Henry is looking her way. The large scale pages make this a quick pick for a storytime, but it will be just as welcome in the context of a family snuggle.