In her first book for adults, the artist Sophie Blackall creates a deeply felt, poignant book about love'¬ ;a book that captures the mystery, the yearning, at times the cosmic humor behind the '¬Swhat if?'¬ of a missed connection. Like a message in a bottle, a '¬Smissed connection'¬ classified (usually posted on a website) is an attempt, however far-fetched, by one stranger to reach another on the strength of a remembered glance, smile, or blue hat. The anonymous messages are hopeful and hopeless, funny and sad. Ms. Blackall, award-winning illustrator of Ruby'¬"s Wish and Big Red  Lollipop, has turned some of the most evocative (or hilarious) of them into exquisite paintings. And now this exquisite gift of a book. Missed Connections is a collection of illustrated love stories. There'¬"s '¬SWe Shared a Bear Suit.'¬ '¬SIf Not for Your Noisy Tambourine.'¬ '¬SHairy Bearded Swimmer.'¬ Each is told in the shorthand of a '¬Smissed connection,'¬ and then illustrated in Chinese ink and watercolor. The paintings are extraordinary: delicate yet full of feeling, each springing from one little detail of the post into a fully imagined world. Each brings the voyeuristic pleasure of watching love at first sight, and the pleasure of watching an artist discover a fresh new way to tell a story. And not all the connections are missed. Hidden in the book are three pieces that conjure up the magic of love found.