A made-for-storytime tale for little ones who do (and do not!) love affection.Seal has just arrived at the national zoo from France and is eager to make "zee" new friends. So when no one visits her, she sets out to smooch her way around the zoo, believing she is making friends as she goes. However, her new zoo mates are less than thrilled by her fishy smell and (they think) overly friendly manners. Oblivious, Seal kisses on until at last the snow leopard sets her straight with a growl: "You stink!" Embarrassed, she slinks back to her pool as Sparrow, the only animal to initiate a friendship with Seal, reminds the other animals that once they, too, were new at the zoo. Together, the residents find their own way to welcome their new neighbor, and friendships begin at last on a good note. Soft acrylic, pencil, and charcoal illustrations feature wide-eyed, wildly dramatic animals in numerous kissing scenes. Young readers will squeal with delight at the onomatopoeic responses given by the animals, including "Ewww!" "Pee-yew!" and "Blech!" even as they root for Seal to win them over and, perhaps, rethink some of their own assumptions about cultural differences in their own settings. The humorous text offers numerous examples of rich language to build children's vocabularies.A pleasing twist on a friendship tale that gently teaches about cultural manners and boundaries. (Picture book. 4-8)

A French seal arrives at a new zoo, expecting friendship from her fellow zoo residents. But -no one came to meet her, to greet her, to shower her with kisses.- After a sparrow kisses Seal to her delight, Seal goes right up to Rhino, Panda, Kangaroo, Kookaburra, and Caribou, kissing and cuddling them. -We-ve been slobbered!- Kangaroo says. Seal, it seems, smells like sardines. When Seal realizes she is unwanted, she retreats-and the other animals make amends with a kind missive: -We sealed this with a lick/ -Cause our kisses wouldn-t stick.- Bright, charming illustrations by Tallec integrate laugh-out-loud slapstick humor into a story about fitting in, but Seal-s phony French accent falls flat, and the idea that -besmooched- animals should apologize for reacting negatively to unwanted touches is dubious. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 2 This picture book is about a seal who arrives at a national zoo from a small zoo in Franc. She tries to make friends by kissing all the other zoo animals with her sardine breath. When Snow Leopard tells her the truth, "You stink," Seal stops and returns home alone. When a sparrow reminds the animals that friendship entails empathy, forgiveness, and kindness, they decide to compromise and start again over a meal of peppermint shrimp and a different kind of kiss. Tallec's acrylic, pencil, and charcoal illustrations are set in an outdoor zoo in the summer. They feature common and uncommon zoo animals (baboons, kookaburra, rhino), all with big, round eyes, and cute features. Their exaggerated reactions to the kisses are expressed on their faces and in their behaviors. VERDICT A fun story which takes a sensitive topic and deals with it using humorous art and practical solutions. Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, Alta.