Dodsworth in Tokyo

On Dodsworth and the duck's first night in Tokyo, a waitress in a sushi restaurant praises the duck's good behavior. "Nobody had ever said that about the duck before." Maybe this is a sign that the affable duo's fifth trip to one of the world's great cities will be atypically mishap free? The humor in Egan's globe-hopping early reader series has always stemmed from the characterization of duck-as-id, and, happily, this installment doesn't break the pattern. After the duck's first literal slip (he leans too far over a bridge to see koi fish and falls in the pond), Dodsworth bribes him back to civility with the promise of wagashi, a traditional dessert. As usual, droll, understated watercolors illustrate the pair's tour of popular attractions. At the Museum of the Imperial Collections, the duck imagines the ancient vases and bowls filled with wagashi to keep himself on track. A plot thread involving a lost kendama, a ball-and-cup toy, leads to the much-anticipated moment of mayhem and to the reminder that our fickle feathered troublemaker has a good heart. Who knows where on earth he and Dodsworth will end up next, but let's hope we find out soon. christine m. heppermann