Chirri & Chirra, underground

Twin sisters Chirri and Chirra have had may adventures, but here they occur underground. When a large hole appears in their cellar wall, there's only one thing to do. Explore! Astride their bikes (dring-dring!), the pair pedals in pursuit of three creatures disappearing down the tunnel. Before they've gone far, Chirri and Chirra are drawn to a golden light, which leads to a bustling underground peanut farm, run by a friendly colony of moles. After partaking in some peanut butter ice cream, the girls continue through the tunnels and encounter more wondrous sights, including a rainbow-hued flower garden, until they, at last, catch up with the creatures responsible for the hole in their wall: badger cubs! The kind badger family apologizes for the damage their cubs caused and invites the twins for an outing on a subterranean lake. This Japanese import is sweetly magical and perfectly in tune with children's acceptance of the fantastic. Smudgy colored-pencil illustrations are aglow with light and color, whimsically whisking readers along with the rosy-cheeked twins.--Julia Smith Copyright 2019 Booklist

In this Japanese import, the winsome, bike-riding twins from Chirri Chirra in the Tall Grass (2017) are back for another gently surreal adventure."Dring-dring, dring-dring!" Upon hearing mysterious noises from the cellar, Chirri and Chirra hop on their bikes and pedal into a hole they find dug into one of its walls. They come across "an underground peanut farm" worked entirely by industrious moles, who harvest, shell, roast, and package the legumes. After enjoying "two cones of peanut soft-serve, warm and fresh as can be," Chirri and Chirra are off again, stopping in "an underground flower garden" tended by mayflies and pedaling beneath a vegetable gardenparsnips, a turnip, leeks, carrots, and beets can be seen in cross-sectionbefore finding their quarry: three badger children who took a wrong turn into their cellar and their parents. The badgers lead them to an underground lake for a boat ride before offering them a meal of "fried root vegetables" and "blue soup" and finally digging them a new tunnel up into the pink dawn. Doi employs her trademark approach, soft colored pencils on textured paper giving the illustrations the cozy appearance of lithographs, a mood furthered by the book's diminutive trim. The twins are identical, with black pageboys, dot eyes, pudgy, rosy cheeks, and Mona Lisa smiles; their delight in the wonders they encounter is pure, unquestioning, and totally infectious.Another charmer. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.