Starred Review The slightly psychedelic aesthetic of a Super Mario game plasters the pages of this picture book, wherein a unicorn, gnome, toadstool, pixie, and centaur embark on an epic quest. Things are ridiculously great in the Super Happy Magic Forest. There are fields for dancing, never-ending picnics, a lollipop pond, and butterfly horses. But evil strikes when goblins steal the Mystical Crystals of Life, putting the forest in danger. At the behest of wise Old Oak, the five aforementioned heroes set out to retrieve the crystals and save their home. The book mixes rainbow-spattered double-page spreads with comics-style panels, and readers watch the heroes make their way through frozen lands, a haunted forest, and dangerous dungeons before arriving at the Goblin Tower (Number 13 Doom Mountain Lane). But nothing could prepare them for the surprise behind the door. Can they still save the day? Long's illustrations are packed to the gills with magical creatures and goofy details, and readers will pore over them with glee. Each landscape successfully traversed by the characters evokes the feel of conquering a new video-game level, and the heroes' hysterical observations along the way will elicit plenty of laughs. The book has no agenda other than taking whimsical fun to the max. Kids ought to flock to it.

Gr 1-3 Five heroes (a satyr, a gnome, a fairy, a unicorn, and a mushroom) embark on an epic quest to retrieve the stolen Mystical Crystals of Life and bring happiness back to their home, the Super Happy Magic Forest. They traverse frozen mountains, face warmongering penguins, and cross the Super Creepy Haunted Forest (where picnics are forbidden) in search of the Goblin Tower, where they believe the crystals are being held. Is their quest successful? Readers will happily find out in this hilariously silly epic quest. While the simple text reads like a straightforward story about danger and daring, illustrations and plentiful speech bubbles elicit giggles on every page. Bright cartoon art never takes itself seriously, depicting amusing interpretations of the text. On one spread, the heroes form a human chain off a cliff to retrieve the gnome's hat, encounter a cave-dwelling creature in love with a shiny gold ring, and lament bad directions when they get lost in a desert. Silly speech-bubble asides will keep younger readers giggling as soldier penguins wonder, "Okay, who took my frying pan?" while more sophisticated readers will enjoy the mushroom's panic when he can't feel his legs (spoiler: he doesn't have any). VERDICT A great choice for independent or one-on-one reading, this playful story will be popular among those looking for fun and adventure. Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, La Crosse Public Library, WI