This early reader graphic novel—the first in a series—marks the debut of Candy James, pen name for a married author-illustrator team. The story centers on animal best friends Archie, who resembles a fluffy, long-tailed lamb, and Reddie, a jaunty red fox who sports a bow and trousers (the characters, back matter notes, are based on stuffies belonging to the creators' children). Archie finds a box of pizza with a red bow on top and, with a conspiratorial wink to the reader ("Ssh...You didn't see anything"), reappears with a bulldozer, to hide the treasure: "Driving a digger!/ Driving a digger!/ Gonna pile/ up some dirt/ to bury my dinner!" The subterfuge unravels when Reddie discovers the dirt mound and becomes a tenacious detective; rather than fessing up as the clues mount, Archie offers a flurry of funny fibs and misdirections (the tire tracks Reddie spots are "snake trails... from a snake!"). Though Archie never confesses, pizza satiety is achieved when Reddie reveals that the pie was a gift intended for Archie all along. Tightly framed, single-plane drawings, drawn with bold black outlines and an offbeat palette of orange, yellow, and brown, offer plenty of perky graphic pop, and the characters have an eager-eyed expressiveness, snappy dialogue, and bouncy physicality that will pull new readers along. Publishing simultaneously: We Will Find Your Hat!: A Conundrum! Ages 4–8. Agent: Gemma Cooper, the Bent Agency. (Sept.)

K-Gr 3—In this first installment of a charming early reader comic series, two lovable fox pals solve a mini-mystery. Archie stumbles upon a suspicious yummy pizza box for the taking. Breaking the fourth wall ("Shh…you didn't see anything," he tells readers), he takes elaborate steps to hide the delicious pie, using a digger to bury it. Little does Archie know that Reddie has an investigation underway to uncover what lies beneath the suspicious pile of dirt. This delightful new comic was created by a husband-and-wife team who were inspired by their daughter's plush toys. The digital designs provide a fitting backdrop to the utterly engaging narrative, and the palette is muted, with warm and inviting tones. The text is clearly identifiable with limited dialogue and words for emerging readers. VERDICT A notable new series addition to any beginning reader collection. Ideal for fans of Mo Willems's "Elephant & Piggie" series and Salina Yoon's "Duck, Duck, Porcupine!" books.—Claire Moore