Ted
Long a legend to fans of Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering,  Tony DiTerlizzi is finally getting his due with a broader audience. The gifted,  prankish artist (and now writer, too) debuted in 2000 with the delightfully  derangedJimmy Zangwow's  Out-of-This-World Moon Pie Adventureand shows no signs of letting up  with the equally weird and wonderfulTed.As the story goes, Ted--the "big, raspberry-colored oaf" who was DiTerlizzi's  imaginary childhood pal--was a little jealous about the Moon Pie Adventure and  wanted in on the next book. So with a little help from this towering, pink,  floppy-eared fluff ball, DiTerlizzi recounts how he and Ted first met over bowls  of raspberry cereal and games of Monopoly-Twister. But, of course, Father will  have nothing to do with this, so an elaborate campaign begins to convince him of  Ted's existence, involving wall murals, impromptu indoor swimming pools, and all  other sorts of mischief.DiTerlizzi's dense, signature style is back--bordering on '50s-traditional but  with a healthy touch of dementia--and his imaginative use of color and shadow  makes every spread a treat. Though it might not have quite the zip ofJimmy  Zangwow, this sophomore effort solidifies the start of DiTerlizzi's  promising new career. (Ages 4 to 8)--Paul Hughes