Siblings Terry and Eric Fan craft a winsome world of bugs and botanicals in this meticulously drawn story of outsize wonder and greed, disproportionate to its diminutive setting.
"It fell from the sky on a Thursday," the narrator says of a gleaming orb that lands among the dandelions and mesmerizes the local bug and small wildlife population. The cat's-eye marble, transparent except for twists of lemon yellow, kelly green and turquoise, is luminous against the grayscale landscape. The black-and-white inhabitants can't identify it. Meanwhile, the Spider skulks in the margins, spinning. The Fans create a satisfying vintage feel with their playfully formal diction and detailed graphite and digital illustrations. Each exquisitely elaborate spread invites a longer look, and only the items "from the sky" are in color, suggesting their otherworldly quality and allure. Fans of David Wiesner should especially love this immersive miniature world where marbles are marvels. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth experience manager, Dayton Metro Library