Welcome to the Best Bakery

An unlikely friendship forms between a bread-loving hare and a wolf baker in Zhang’s fully imagined portrayal. Lured by the aromas emanating from a van shaped like a giant sesame-seed roll, Bunny overcomes her nerves about the “very big, very hairy, very scary” wolf behind the vehicle’s counter and is amazed to discover that he is truly serving up “the best bread in the world.” The long-eared protagonist proposes that Wolf teach her his baking secrets, and while their initial tutorial leaves Bunny shaken and Wolf remorseful, the pair’s mutual efforts to make things right result in a winning loaf as well as the beginning of a caring and respectful partnership. The conclusion widens out to include a larger community when Bunny brings a whole host of animal friends to enjoy Wolf’s culinary marvels: “What a team they made! Soon all the bread was sold out.” Presented with thin, precise lines and careful washes of color, illustrated scenes unfold across a mix of panels and full-bleed spreads, with minute details adding a quaint realism that draws out the work’s fable-like qualities. Ages 3–5. (Nov.)