Castle Gesundheit

The occupant of the titular Castle Gesundheit is the Baron Von Sneeze, and both are aptly named: the locals in the adjacent village of Handkerchief "had put up with the Baron's snuffling, wheezing, and coughing day and night for as long as they could remember." Fed up with the racket, a redheaded girl called Fiona gets inside the castle and finds that the Baron is a benevolent, lonely fellow with a castle full of cats but no humans. She also helps him realize that his respiratory woes are caused by an allergy to the hundreds of felines that share his home ("But the Von Sneezes have always had cats!" he protests, pointing to the family's feline-festooned heraldry). Happily ever after--with a few final hitches--is achieved when Fiona comes up with an inventive swap. Fearing's (the Middle School Bites series) broadly comic digital cartooning takes off quickly as it introduces readers to a town where everyone comically covers their ears with all manner of objects, while boldfaced typographic interjections of the Baron's congestion--"SNIFFLE SNUFFLE SNORK"--punctuate the scenes. But the book really hits its stride when the action moves to the castle, where bright-hued art keenly conveys the Baron's plethora of furry, emphatically free-range friends (and his unending kitty-related chores). Ages 3--7. Agent: Sean McCarthy, Sean McCarthy Literary. (Nov.)

The medieval village of Handkerchief has a loud and drippy problem. The constant sound of sneezing, coughing, and sniffling from Castle Gesundheit is keeping the villagers awake. No one can sleep; everyone has dark circles. They've tried everything: pillows over their ears, ears plugged with fingers, even books over their ears. Most Handkerchiefians are scared to approach the castle, but little Fiona's had enough. No one will lower the drawbridge for her, so she needs to get creative (nothing works until she finds a cat door to wriggle through). Inside, she finds plenty of cats, but, following the sound of the ahhh-choos, only one human. Baron Von Sneeze has no one to take care of him--everyone's left because of the noise. Fiona asks if he eats well and keeps warm and tries to get enough sleep…yes, yes, yes. She asks if he has seen a doctor. He's seen the best (and a witch and a wizard!). Based on her investigation and the feline population, Fiona draws the obvious conclusion. But the cats can't go! The Von Sneezes have kept cats for generations…so Fiona comes up with an innovative plan that works for everyone. Fearing's silly, sniffling tale might have a simple throughline, but the comical cartoon illustrations of the stouthearted girl and bewigged baron layer the laughs in the details--many of which are just cats being cats. Both Fiona and the baron present White; among the citizenry of Handkerchief are a few people of color. "Sniffle snuffle snork!" Giggle! (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.