Colin’s Castle

Moving into a fabulously freaky moat-surrounded castle—with boxes labeled “bath,” “bedroom,” “kitchen,” and “dungeon”—black-shrouded protagonist Colin is “one very happy vampire.” But his undead bliss is short-lived when he discovers that a green duck also claims the castle as its own—or at least wants Colin for a roomie. A quiet-loving being who simply wants a “duck-free zone” for movie nights, gardening, and uninterrupted toilet time, Colin finds himself pushed to the limit by the fierce, feathered adversary. Making her solo debut, Swain pairs chummy, chatty narration with comically macabre pictures: black and gray ink washes are punctuated with visual wit (a Newton’s cradle made of tiny skulls) and pops of color (Colin’s bright pink shower cap). And as Colin considers how to handle the continuing quackery, it’s just possible that the duck’s intransigence will offer readers laughs about their own everyday battles of wills. The vampire’s skin echoes the white of the page. Ages 3–6. (July)