Lucy

In the fictional, old-fashioned metropolis of Bloomville, store-clerk-by-day Sam moonlights as a (stage fright-suffering) juggler. His daughter Eleanor lavishes attention on the neighborhood dogs, including a stray named Lucy. When Lucy -- who is often in survival mode -- catches moments of respite, she dreams of her happy-home former life. The story builds in four acts, with slight intentional repetition ("The next morning, as the sun rose over Bloomville...") but with new events and information thrown in, much like additional juggling balls being tossed into the air. By the time readers learn Lucy's backstory, she has found in Eleanor and Sam her forever family, and Sam has finally found his stage fright-free place in the spotlight. Cecil's oval-shaped, duotone illustrations (rendered in oil) float amidst white space, the design offering equal weight to both text and image. Illustrations accompany as well as enhance plot: when Eleanor wonders, "And where is Lucy now?" readers see the pup in the background, sleeping peacefully on the barbershop stoop. Like extras in a stage play, Bloomville residents go about their bustling lives in the background, and have their own stories, too, including two park-goers of a certain age looking for companionship, and a band of street musicians that grows in size daily. elisa gall

Store-clerk-by-day Sam moonlights as a (stage fright–suffering) juggler. His daughter Eleanor lavishes attention on stray dog Lucy. By the end of the four-act story, Lucy has found her forever family, and Sam has found his place in the spotlight. Oval-shaped, duotone oil illustrations float amidst white space, the design offering equal weight to both text and image.