The Wild Piano: A Philemon Adventure by Fred, 39 pp, RL

Last year, TOON Graphics brought us Cast Away on the Letter A , the first Philemon Adventure by Fred, published in 1972 in France. Philemon and his adventures are unlike almost anything that we have seen on these shores. Fred's illustrations are intricate and filled with action, humor and imagination. I am often reminded of the interstitial animated flights of fancy (and weirdness) that Terry Gilliam created for Monty Python's Flying Circus. In his first adventure, Philemon, a teen living in the country and helping his father on the farm, falls down a well along with his mule, Anatole. After a strange, arduous journey in a new world, Philemon meets Bartholomew, legendary well digger who disappeared 40 years ago. Bartholomew reveals that they are actually on the letter "A" that spells "Atlantic" on the globe. Philemon makes his way home, but without Bartholomew, who is stuck in a labyrinth on the Letter A. In The Wild Piano , Phil is back h