Books aren't for eating

A caprine bookseller communicates literature's creative and conceptual value to a book-hungry shopper in this playful tale for bibliophiles. Leopold, a bespectacled white billy goat, loves cozy sweaters and the written word. He's also fond of making selections for customers--"each fit its reader snugly and warmly, like a sweater." His curatorial instincts falter, however, when another buck wanders into the shop in search of titles to chomp. "This is going on your bill," says Leopold, pictured waving a half-eaten tome through the shop window. A suggestion inspired by Leopold's own book-munching days turns things around, and concluding vignettes show the hungry patron metaphorically "filling up" on stories. Employing gouache and digital techniques, Montoya uses earthy tones to craft warm scenes of various creatures browsing the shelves. Ages 4--8. (Sept.)

Books can be life-changing, contemplative, and...delicious? Leopold, a bespectacled, white-furred goat, loves warm sweaters and books. Books transport him out of his own life through his imagination and help him discover new worlds and adventures. Leopold loves books so much that he owns a bookstore and spends his days suggesting books to a racially diverse group of customers--it gives "him such a pleasant feeling, like introducing someone to a friend." Leopold is tested, however, when a gray-furred goat requests a book…for ingesting. Acknowledging his faux pas, the unnamed goat allows Leopold to guide his book-selection adventure, with disastrous (but fibrous?) results. Thankfully, Leopold's wife, a brown-furred goat, reminds her husband that he was once like this tricky customer, motivating Leopold to suggest the title that helped him discover that books were for more than just a light snack. The plotting is droll, and the illustrations--done in gouache and rendered digitally--are amusing in a vaguely Wes Anderson style, but the story feels heavily preached toward the choir. The denouement happens suddenly, which may leave readers wishing to learn more about the gray-furred goat's literary journey (and name) and less about Leopold's life. It's a fine story but one that may not appeal to the gray-furred goats of the world. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Quaint but doesn't leave you wanting seconds. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.