Willoughby & the Lion
Starred Review. Foley (Thank You Bear) scores points for unique visual presentation in this sumptuously produced, two-color book, instantly distinguished by its heavily embossed jacket. Willoughby Smith has moved to a disappointing new home, pictured in a flimsy black line on an expanse of white. One day, Willoughby sees a lion perched on a boulder. Rendered in metallic gold ink, the lion shines, its gleam set off by the book's highly coated paper. The lion promises Willoughby 10 wishes but adds, Unless you wish for the most wonderful thing of all, I'll be stuck on this rock forever. Willoughby's first nine wishes benefit himself, from a palace shown in gold on black (it resembles a crisply engraved metal plate) to a hot-air-balloon-submarine, intricately diagrammed in white on gold.  With every wish, the ratio of gold to gray increases and Foley's compositions, mingling line drawings with digitally manipulated b&w photos, become more complex. Brassy layers and a sprinkling of stars imply fantastic wealth, leavened with grayscale pixels; the elegant combination of the two basic colors boosts the visual impact exponentially. The 10th wish, whispered to the lion, finally reverses the acquisitive sequence; Foley implies selflessness at last, signaled by an expansive sunrise of gold lines against pure white, and a small gold coin labeled true friend (a removable facsimile is stored within the interior back cover). A second Willoughby title, about Willoughby and the moon, will use black and metallic silver ink. Ages 4–7.(Feb.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.