The Overnighter! Darcy's First Sleepover by Julie Fortenberry

Darcy really didn't mind going to bed at home. She liked her own strawberry toothpaste; she loved her stuffed snuggly, Little Cat, Dad's bedtime stories, and falling asleep to the sound of his doing the supper dishes in the kitchen.

But tonight will be different. She's going to sleepover at her cousin Kayla's house. Things are different there.

THEY ATE OUTSIDE AND HAD CELERY WITH PEANUT BUTTER.

DARCY WASN'T SURE SHE LIKED PEPPERMINT TOOTHPASTE.

She had to call Dad to ask him if Little Cat was all right.  Kayla had a tent with sleeping bags in her bedroom for them, and she loaned Darcy her Teddy bear. But right after her mother read them a bedtime story, Karla fell asleep. Darcy didn't. She heard the wind howling outside and something scratched at the window.

IT WAS SO DIFFERENT HERE. SHE MISSED HER DAD.

Darcy peeked out the window and saw the sound was just from a branch, blowing in the wind. The rain was ending and moon was visible, and she knew it was shining on Little Cat on her bed at home..

WHEN DARCY OPENED HER EYES, THE SUN WAS UP. THE MORNING SMELLED LIKE PANCAKES!

The two cousins ate their pancakes in the tent in Karla's room and started planning for Karla to come to her house for a sleepover next time, in Julie Fortenberry's latest, Darcy's First Sleepover, (Henry Holt and Company, 2021).

In this comforting story of a first night away from home, noted author-illustrator Julie Fortenberry's character takes on one of those important steps toward independence in the early years, the first sleepaway night, and she in turn invites her cousin Karla, who confesses she's never sleptover, to spend the night with her. Fortenberry's endearing little heroines with notably supportive parents portray the courage it takes for some kids to take that first step. This is a warm and emphathetic bedtime story for youngsters who are approaching their first night away. Another sympathetic milestone story by Julie Fortenbery is her Pearl Goes to Preschool.

"Sweetly encouraging . . . . A gentle, confidence-boosting volume," says Publishers Weekly".