Richard Thompson's <I>Cul de Sac</i> follows the antics of four-year-old Alice Otterloop as she navigates her way through her suburban town and life's ups and downs at Blisshaven Preschool. More than half of our nation's population resides in the burbs, and suburbanites everywhere will easily recognize <I>Cul de Sac</i>'s tree-lined streets, big-box retail stores, and kiddy crunchy cereals, along with the revealing backseat conversations between Alice and her brother.<P>Thompson's paintbrush captures humorously poignant and reflectively thoughtful watercolor scenes that offer commentary on life and how we choose to live it. Appearing in more than 100 newspapers, <I>Cul de Sac</i> has garnered Thompson critical praise from both the National Cartoonists Society and the Society of Illustrators.