Green Lizards vs. Red Rectangles

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY AUG 17, 2015

In the spirit of Dr. Seuss's The Butter Battle Book, Antony (The Queen's Hat) stages an absurdist face-off between an army of small, pea-green lizards and an opposing force of crisp, red rectangles of every shape and size. It's an unlikely, even nonsensical matchup (almost animal vs. mineral), and that's a large part of the book's strength this is not a war that ends with a realization along the lines of "hey, we're the same underneath it all." The combat reveals that both sides have their strengths: "the red rectangles were smart" (they attempt to encircle the lizards in a fencelike prison), while "the green lizards were strong" (they overwhelm the rectangles with their sheer, swarming numbers). Mid-battle, one lizard shouts, "What are we fighting for?" though his question goes unanswered after he is unceremoniously squashed. Luckily, the exhausted combatants find a way to coexist by book's end, as the rectangles transform themselves into an urban dwelling for the lizards a solution that acknowledges and celebrates difference, rather than trying to ignore or gloss over it. Ages 3 5.