APPLE KING, THE

This Italian team's (previously paired for Caspar and the Star) tale of a headstrong ruler who gets his comeuppance follows formula with pleasing results, especially visually. After worms invade a greedy king's prized apple tree, the monarch (a portly swine, dressed in robes edged with snout-prints) spends the remainder of the book trying to evict the pests. He even stoops to bribery: "Venerable worms, if you would be so kind as to depart from my apples, I will give you a sack full of gold!" But the apple tree herself invited the squirmy guests, so that she could have company. Once the boldest of the worms explains the tree's predicament to the king, he relents and agrees to share both tree and fruit with his people. Ferri's (And God Created Squash) muted watercolors favor elongated views of the court and often spotlight the animal courtiers as if they were players on a stage. On one page, the head gardener quails before the king's gigantic shadow; on another, a tiny worm addresses the king from the dining hall floor. His expressive portraits fill in the gaps of the narrative, endowing the cast with personalities.