Monti and Leo — Sylvie Kantorovitz

A mania for collecting -- and a mysterious thief -- have Pocketville abuzz in Monti and Leo's endearing second graphic adventure. Will their friendship pass the test of loyalty? Mrs. Sheep has loaned her storied collection of figurines to the library, and Pocketville is all aflutter. When Monti and Leo attend the exhibit and discuss their favorites with the crowd, Monti's turns out to be the same as Mrs. Sheep's. Later, while Leo shows Monti his treasured rock collection, the town enters a frenzy of collecting -- everything from old bottles and red yo-yos to feathers and pine cones. Monti wants a collection, too, but can't decide what to collect. The mood turns dire when one of Mrs. Sheep's figurines mysteriously goes missing -- her favorite! All eyes turn to Monti as, one by one, other prize objects vanish, setting off a storm of suspicion and accusation. Will Monti take the fall? Not if Detective Leo can help it. With clean, simple panel design and appealing art, this reassuring early reader in graphic form mines classic themes of friendship, trust, and loyalty.