Caped Christmas Crusaders: A Chick 'N' Pug Christmas by Jennifer Sattler

"SANTA CLAUS BRINGS PRESENTS AND SPREADS JOY TO EVERYONE ON CHRISTMAS!" PUG TELLS CHICK.

"HOW DOES HE DELIVER EVERYTHING IN ONE NIGHT?"

"HE FLIES THROUGH THE SKY!" SAYS PUG.

"SO HE'S A SUPER HERO!" SHOUTS CHICK. "DOES HE NEED A SIDEKICK?"

Fans of Chick 'n' Pug know that Chick has quite a thing for caped crusaders, but in this dynamic duo, Pug, for whom eating is second only to napping, is definitely deficient in the dynamics department. But Chick has enough pizzazz for them both, and she zooms into action to spread cheer with Pug as her own Super Santa.

"OOH! OOH! I WANT TO BE AN ELF!" SHE CRIES.

But not everybody is in the market for cheer! Duck ducks the big rubber ball Chick rolls toward him. The Dude, their old shaggy dog friend, just slobbers all over it. Neither of them seems especially over-joyed. Then Chick spots their old nemesis, Mr. Snuggle the cat, whose owner has decked him out as a "wittle weindeer." Mr. Snuggle is manifestly not in any mood for joy and cheer.

Between his itchy Santa suit and the lack of good cheer so far, Pug is about ready for a long winter's nap, when Chick spots a squirrel seriously schlepping an acorn toward a hollow in a tree.

"WE'D BE NUTS NOT TO HELP!" CHICK EXCLAIMS!

Chick rounds up what like an an acre of acorns and piles them up right in front of the hole in the tree where squirrel lives. Stuck outside, Squirrel has a tizzy tantrum right there on the snow.

"NO NEED TO THANK US!" CHICK WAVES CHEERILY.

Squirrel doesn't return the gesture, and Super Santa Pug 'n' Sidekick Chick seem strangely to have cleared the landscape of customers for their particular version of Christmas cheer.

"WHAT WOULD SANTA DO NOW?" WONDERS CHICK.

But Pug manages to stay awake long enough to supply his best friend with some seasonal joy, in Jennifer Sattler's latest little holiday story of her dynamic duo, in A Chick 'n' Pug Christmas (Bloomsbury Books, 2014). Pug and Chick are the perfect contrast, the classic odd couple, and Sattler's crisp and seriously silly cartoon illustrations draw of their humor from the contrasting body language of the two unlikely best buddies.

Sattler's other top-selling stories of her non-traditional twosome are Chick 'n' Pug and Chick 'n' Pug Meet the Dude. (Read my pugnacious reviews here.)

Into the Bog with.... Maggi and Milo by Juli Brenning

MAGGI IS AN EXCELLENT ADVENTURER,

A BIT OF A SCIENTIST, AND MILO'S BEST FRIEND.

So when Maggi comes home to find a package from Grandma. she tears it open to find a book and a pair of blue polka-dotted boots. And Grandma clearly knows her girl. The book is about hunting frogs and there's nothing for it but for Maggi to pull on her boots and head right out to the pond to see what's hoppin.'

Nothing is hopping, swimming, or croaking. Maggi stands motionless for about a million or so minutes. She comes to a conclusion.

"... WET FEET MAKE FOR A LONG DAY."

Her shaggy shepherd Milo has better things to do. He wanders off. Finally Maggi gives up on frog spotting, realizes Milo is missing, and splashes off to find him.

"M.....ILO?"

MILO HAD FOUND FROGS!

Maggi starts naming her foundling frogs--Alexander, Benjamin, Cooper.... until she stops abruptly at Princess Penelope...

Maggi has hit the wall:

"NO WAY I CAN THINK OF A GIRL'S NAME THAT STARTS WITH Q!"

The sun may have set on Maggi's frog-hunting for the day, but there's always another adventure ahead for Maggi and Milo, in Juli Brenning's Maggi and Milo (Dial Books, 2014), which introduces this piquant pig-tailed adventuress and her shaggy sidekick. Artist Priscilla Burris gives us a gung-ho girl, ebullient, joyful, and a bit of a risk taker, under the mostly watchful eyes of her big black and white dog. "...there's a new spunky gal-and-canine twosome in town," says Kirkus.

Common Ground: Pete the Cat and the New Guy by Kimberly and James Dean

There is a mooving van spotted in Pete the Cat's neighborhood!

WISE OLD OWL HAD A VIEW FROM HIS TREE.

PETE SAID, "HEY, OWL! WHAT DO YOU SEE?"

"ALL I SEE ARE GREEN SHOES AND A RED HAT." SAID OWL.

"SOUNDS LIKE MY KIND OF CAT," SAID PETE.

Most of the new kid is hidden by the large moving box he is toting toward his new house, so Pete, wearing his lucky red shoes, sets out on his skateboard to try to catch a closer look at what he hopes will be a new friend. He wants to say "Hi!" but finds that he's too shy to go up and knock.

But the next day, when the new guy come out to meet him, Pete blurts out the first thing that comes to mind:"

"YOU SEEM LIKE A DUCK AND LIKE A BEAVER, TOO!"

Gus explains that he's a platypus. Pete says  he thinks that being different is cool and takes him out to meet his old friends.

Squirrel takes it in stride and invites Gus to climb up and share his favorite tree. Pete joins him on the big branch, but although he tries, Gus just doesn't have the right stuff to scamper up trees. Gus is disappointed.

"I WISH I COULD CLIMB LIKE YOU, BUT CLIMBING IS JUST SOMETHING I  CAN'T DO."

Gus has no luck when he meets Grumpy Toad, who invites him to play leapfrog with them. Gus just can't jump very high or very far.  Octopus offers to teach him to juggle, but he discovers that juggling is beyond his reach, too.  Gus is feeling gloomy, and Pete can't think of anything that they can all do together.

But on Saturday, when Pete rolls over to try to cheer Gus up, he hears a really cool thump coming from Gus's garage.

"SWEET!"

GUS WAS ROCKING TO THE BEAT!

It seems that a groovy drummer is just what the guys in the neighborhood band need, in Kim and James Dean's newest (and already best-selling) cool cat picture book Pete the Cat and the New Guy (Harper, 2014). With the first days of school just ahead, it's good for readers to be reminded that kids who seem different in some way may indeed have qualities and capabilities that aren't obvious at first meeting. Also recent in the Pete the Cat catalog are Pete's beginning reader books, Pete the Cat and the Bad Banana (My First I Can Read), and Pete the Cat: A Pet for Pete (My First I Can Read).

Try to See It My Way! Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool by Kimberly and James Dean

Who doesn't like Valentine's Day?

Pete the Cat.

"VALENTINE'S DAY IS NOT COOL." PETE SAID.

But Pete can't resist the sincerity in Callie Cat's big blue eyes when she proclaims

"OH, PETE! VALENTINE'S DAY IS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY!"

Irresistible! Pete is a convert to Valentine's Day and all it entails, especially making personalized, homemade cards for each of their friends. Once on it, Pete's usual enthusiasm takes over as he designs sports-themed cards for all his buddies, each one with the friend's favorite sports equipment featured! Pete worries that, because of his late start, he'll never get all of them done, but Mom just tells him to do his best and stay with it, and working with Callie, Pete finally has a stack for everyone in his class--or so he thinks.

But when Pete arrives at Callie's house for her big party, he has a thought that freezes him motionless at Callie's door. He's forgotten to make one for his holiday hostess! Is Pete about to be the least-cool cat at Callie's Valentine's Day party?

Kimberly and James Dean's Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool (Harper, 2013) catches the usually upbeat Pete in a rare (and brief) moment of negativity as it helps Pete fans celebrate Callie's favorite day. For kids for whom that mushy stuff is not so cool, this Pete title pushes the point that it's a day to appreciate all friends for their unique personalities. As an extra sweetener, this Pete book contains a tear-out set of Pete-themed Valentine's Day cards on sturdy stock, a poster, and a sheet of stickers to use with the Valentines.

Mole Gets Wheels! Off We Go! A Bear and Mole Story by Will Hillenbrand

"BEAR, I NEED SOME HELP."
MOLE GRINNED. "THESE NEED TO COME OFF. I'M READY TODAY," HE DECLARED.

Bear and Mole are headed off to return their library books when Mole suddenly decides he's ready to ride his bike--without training wheels. Bear helps with the mechanics, and the two proudly affix the tall bike flag to his bicycle. Mole snaps on his helmet with a determined air, and with a gentle helping push from Bear, he takes off.

WOBBLE WOBBLE WOBBLE.

CRASH!

Not an auspicious beginning for Mole's maiden bike hike!

"I CAN'T!" HE SOBS.

"I THINK YOU CAN!" SAYS BEAR.

Bear helps Mole up and back into the saddle, and Mole gamely begins to pedal. Bear urges him to go faster, and he begins to get his balance.

"YOU'RE DOING IT! CRIES BEAR.

There's many a weave and a wobble, a bounce and a jounce along the way, even a few comic near mishaps, but this time Mole stays upright, in the saddle, all the way to the park where the bookmobile is parked and waiting for patrons, in Will Hillenbrand's third book in his series, Off We Go!: A Bear and Mole Story (Holiday House, 2013).  Mole and Bear are quintessential storybook pals, with each one taking his turn at shepherding the other through life's various journeys. This time it is Mole's turn to venture into a new experience, to solo sans training wheels, and Hillenbrand's charming illustrations of the two friends portray gentle affection and loyal support for a milestone trip. As Publishers Weekly puts it, "Clipped sentences, onomatopoeic phrases, and the unpredictability of a wayward bike create a fun follow-up about this pair."

Pair this latest with its predecessors (take two; they're small!), Spring Is Here! (Bear and Mole Story) (see my 2011 review here), and A Kite Day (Bear and Mole Story) (see my 2012 review here.)

Thankful: Splat Says Thank You by Rob Scotton

SPLAT WAS WORRIED ABOUT SEYMOUR. HE HADN'T SMILED ALL DAY.

Who could blame Seymour for being glum? He's sick in bed with spots all over him.

Still, Splat can't stand for his best buddy to be morose. What can he do to coax a smile out of his ailing pal?

But Splat has a secret smile catcher -- a hand-illustrated book he's been saving to give to Seymour. Today looks like a good time.

"I MADE IT FOR YOU!" SAID SPLAT. "I CALL IT 'THE FRIENDSHIP BOOK."

Inside Splat has drawn all the highlights of his friendship with his mouse buddy -- the time Seymour talked him into trying out for the school play and helped him learn all the lines when he got the lead. Splat turns the page. And then he shows that awful moment when he forgot his lines in the middle of his performance and Seymour held up a cue card to help him get through it.

"THANK YOU!" SAYS SPLAT.

While Seymour sneezes through the story, Splat shows more moments when he owed his thanks to his best friend--the time Seymour tried to mend Mom's favorite Christmas ornament after Splat broke it and the time Splat got stuck in a tree trying to get his brother's best kite down and Seymour came to his rescue. Splat thinks Seymour almost smiles at that story, and he goes on with his recital of their best moments as friends.

"YOU ARE MY SMALLEST FRIEND AND MY BIGGEST!" SAID SPLAT.

"THANK YOU!"

Friends can make you smile even when you don't feel like it, Rob Scotton insists in his latest cat tale, Splat Says Thank You! (Splat the Cat) (Harper, 2012). Here Scotton lets his uniquely quirky drawings poke out and over of the page frame and utilizes quick-cut changes of perspective which keep the story moving.

Also, don't miss Scotton's newest I-Can-Read Splat and Seymour stories, Splat the Cat and the Duck with No Quack (I Can Read Book 1), Splat the Cat: Fishy Tales, and Splat the Cat: The Rain Is a Pain (I Can Read Book 1), all tailored to tempt the beginning reader to join this lucky black kitty in his tales for beginning readers.

Tempest In A Teapot! Fancy Nancy Tea for Two by Jane O'Connor

BREE SAYS, "CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO THREE!"

"UN, DEUX, TROIS." (I LOVE COUNTING IN French.)

WHEN I OPEN MY EYES, BREE IS HOLDING A TRAY WITH A FANCY TEA SET ON IT.

"OOO LA LA!

Bree's mother has finally decided that Bree is old enough to be trusted with the prized toy tea set that she and her sister played with when they were little girls. It's a very fancy china set and it still has all its pieces--the teapot AND lid, the sugar bowl, cream pitcher, and all the cups and saucers--lovingly played with and saved just for her. Bree is thrilled, and she and her Best Friend Forever, Nancy Clancy, can't wait to have their first elegante tea party.

Their dolls, Marabelle and Chiffon, are to be honored guests, and as soon as the proper hour for afternoon tea rolls around, the two BFFs and their dolls are dressed in their fanciest and the table is laid with that special tea set.

At first all goes well. Bree and Nancy take turns serving daintily, and then it's time for Marabelle and Chiffon to play hostess with the mostest.

"NOW IT'S MARABELLE'S TURN TO POUR!" I SAY.

"NO!" SAYS BREE. "CHIFFON IS STILL HOSTESS!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" I SAY. "MARABELLE DESERVES TO HAVE A TURN."

I REACH TO TAKE THE TEAPOT. THEN SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENS!

THE TEAPOT GOES FLYING, AND WHEN IT LANDS, ITS LID BREAKS INTO TWO PIECES.

"MY TEA SET IS WRECKED!" SHOUTS BREE. "GO HOME!"

Bree's heirloom teapot has been ruined, and it seems that the teapot lid is not the only thing broken in this event. Will the forever part of best friends forever be history? Is this the final "Au Revoir" for besties Bree and Nancy?

Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy: Tea for Two (Harper, 2012) deals with the emotional fallout from a feud between the two lifelong friends, as Nancy has to face up to the fact that friendship has its trials. O'Connor has a keen insight into the significant transitions of the primary school years, and a serious dispute between close friends is one of those situations that almost all children must work through in that passage. A great friendship can be repaired, but not so easily as a teapot lid, and fans of Nancy Clancy will want to read how this one turns out.

Conquering Cat-a-Phobia: Purrfect Friends (Martha Speaks) adapted bty KIaren Barss

Martha and Skits were napping when they heard voices in the backyard.

"Adorable!" Helen said.

"Isn't he? We just got him from the shelter." Alice said.

Martha perked up. "Shelter! Come on, Skits! Let's go meet the new puppy!"

But Helen calls a halt to the introduction to the newcomer.

Helen warns Martha that she shouldn't prejudge the new pet because he's different. Martha is incensed at the insinuation that she, definitely a different dog, would be guilty of such a social faux pas. But then...

"CAT!" GROWLED Martha.

"GRRRRRRRoss!"

"There's different..." Martha said to Skits, and then there's... CAT!"

But Martha reckons without knowing how cute a kitty can be. It isn't long before the kitty has Martha wrapped around his little paddy paw and Martha has found an unlikely friend. But she feels like she's letting down all of dogdom in adopting a kitty-cat pal, so she sheepishly tells the kitty the way things are in the real world.

"Look, you're a nice kid," she said. "In a different world, maybe we could be buddies. But you're a cat and I'm a dog, and in this neighborhood I just can't socialize with you."

But kitty love conquers all, and soon Martha's mind is changed. Why can't she be friends with the kitty if she wants to?

"You're prejudiced!" she scolds poor Skits when he objects.

Kitties work a magic of their own, and in the forthcoming Martha Speaks: Purrfect Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012) Martha learns her lesson and is not shy about passing it along to Skits cat-egorically, so to speak.

And, as always, the verbally gifted Martha also shares her new vocabulary with young readers in an appended word search activity in the latest featuring the world's most loquacious canine.

Baby Tooth Blues: Bear's Loose Tooth by Karma Wilson

FROM A CAVE IN THE FOREST
CAME A MUNCH, MUNCH, CRUNCH.
BEAR AND HIS FRIENDS
ALL NIBBLE ON THEIR LUNCH.

BEAR SAVORED EACH BITE.
HE GULPED AND HE GOBBLED.
THEN THERE--IN HIS MOUTH--
SOMETHING WIGGLED AND WOBBLED.

IT WAS...BEAR'S LOOSE TOOTH!

It's that early childhood rite of passage--the first loose tooth. Bear is taken aback. Nothing in his mouth has ever changed before. What does this mean? How will he eat?

The usual suspects, Bear's forest friends, fill him in on the whole mammalian dentition thing. Even little mouse has been through it, and he assures Bear that when the loose tooth comes out, a brand new grown-up tooth will slowly appear to fill its place.

Bear is reassured at last. But what to do about this wiggly, wobbly old tooth still in his mouth? As usual, Bear's buddies are all too eager to offer help with that. The gang gathers round while Bear stretches out and opens wide, and everyone peers at the affected tooth, Owl perching right on Bear's big nose to get a better view. Little Wren steps up to the job of dental assistant du jour:

WREN PERCHED ON BEAR'S LIP
AND HE GOT A GOOD GRIP.
ON BEAR'S LOOSE TOOTH.

Wren's tiny beak is a precision tool, all right, but his tiny tugs lack the essential torque to uproot the loose tooth. Undeterred, though, Bear's bigger friends give it a try: Owl, Badger, and then Hare pull and twist and yank, but the tooth resists all their efforts.

Bear himself finally gives a mighty push with his tongue and the loose tooth at last breaks free! The group whoops it up in celebration, and that night Bear has a surprise visit from the Tooth Fairy, who leaves an appropriate bear-y toothsome treat, a big bowl of blueberries.

And when the gang gathers for their usual brunch, Bear shares his prize with them all. And then Bear gets another surprise.

BEAR GULPED AND HE GOBBLED,
AND HE FELT SOMETHING WOBBLE...

BEAR'S LOOSE TOOTH!

Author Karma Wilson's and artist Jane Chapman's latest in their best-selling Bear Snores on series, Bear's Loose Tooth (Margaret K. Elderry Books, 2011) follows the familiar format, with verse bright with internal and ending rhymes and soft acrylic illustrations of young woodland animals reinforcing the theme of mastering the small milestones of early childhood with the help of supportive friends. Their first new entry since the 2008 hit, Bear Stays Up for Christmas, this latest will pair well with Lucy Bate's and Diane deGroat's charming classic tooth tale,Little Rabbit's Loose Tooth, to ease the transition from baby tooth to new tooth for youngsters facing their first big change.

Camp Rocks: The Jelly Beans and the Big Camp Kickoff by Laura Numeroff

It's summertime and the Jellybeans, a group of girls united by their love for those little oval, bright-colored candies and their passion for their individual interests are off for their first sleepover camp experience. They are a bit nervous on the bus, but with each other for support, they feel they'll fit in just fine.

And they all do, except for Nicole. Emily hangs out at the studio with the other devoted dancers and builds leg strength on long nature walks. Artsy Bitsy starts making everyone personalized macaroni necklaces. And bookworm Anna hits the camp library for books on the local flora and fauna. But to her dismay, Nicole finds that there is NO soccer team at Camp Pook-a-Wow. Bummer!

"I'm sorry, Nicole," said Mrs. Jangley-Cheezer, "but Camp Pook-A-Wow doesn't have a soccer team. There are lots of other sports you could try."

Gamely, Nicole tries out all the camp sports. A self-proclaimed tomboy, she's good at most of them--swimming, archery, kayaking--but for a girl who takes her soccer ball to bed, she feels somehow out of sync at camp despite the usual fun of campfire ghost tales and marshmallow roasts. The other Jellybeans are right at home at Pook-A-Wow, but Nicole still feels like the odd Jellybean out.

Then she gets an inspiration! The nearby rival camp has a soccer team. Perhaps she can recruit some campers, share her skills, and give Camp Pook-A-Wow a winning team. Now if she can just get her best friends to lend their skills to the action, she may just salvage her summer.

Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans again combine the authorly skills with noted illustrator Lynn Munsinger in the latest in their best-selling series, The Jellybeans and the Big Camp Kickoff (Abrams, 2011) in a light-hearted confection of a picture book which makes the potentially traumatic first camp experience go down like a spoonful of sugar. Numeroff's little heroines again show that their individual differences and interests provide strength to their group of friends as they master yet another of the milestones of childhood with their friendship still alive--and kickin'.

Nobody's Perfect: Perfectly Arugula by Sarah Dillard

Everything in Arugula's world was just so.

Her house was clean and bright.

There were no weeds in Arugula's garden.

Her quills had just the right shine and bounce.

Arugula was perfect.

Does Arugula yearn to share her wonderful world with her friends? W-e-e-l-l, not exactly. It's more like Arugula wants to show off her perfect house and garden, her lovely things, and her elegant cuisine.

She plans her menu--watercress sandwiches, cream puffs, strawberry cake--and invites everyone she knows--except for Fidget the Squirrel, whose energy and brashness Arugula finds quite annoying and no small danger to her fine china!

Finally the big day arrives. Arugula put the finishing touches on her showpiece--the strawberry cake--and just has time to freshen herself up before the guests begin to arrive. At first the invitees are impressed with Arugula's home and tea table. But the hostess seems more concerned about a chip in her fine teacups, or a nick in her antique teapot, or crumbs on her carpet, or an imperfectly sliced piece of cake to permit her guests to relax and have a good time.

Just as they are looking around for an excuse to take their leave of their obsessive hostess, however, Fidget arrives in a burst of energy.

"Hey, everybody! Let's get this party started!"

It's high anxiety time for Arugula as Fidget breaks out his favorite party tricks--juggling her precious teacups and balancing the elegant cake on his nose.

"Don't try this at home!!

"There's just one thing this party is missing! DANCING!"

Despite herself, Arugula suddenly realizes that her guests are really having a good time--and so is she! Her party is now really perfect.

Sarah Dillard's Perfectly Arugula (Sterling, 2009) is a great reminder that those who are obsessive about having the arrangements perfect sometimes overlook what makes a party itself perfect--fun for everyone, including the hostess. Dillard lays out many of her pages like a comic book, with thought balloons revealing what the guests are really thinking, a device which adds to the irony as Arugula mentally compliments herself on her faultless food and decor while her guests fidget nervously and try to come up with a polite reason to leave. Perfectly Arugula is a humorous book with a small but important message about hospitality.

Pachyderm Pal: Pete and Pickles by Berkley Breathed

We first see Pete, a practical, predictable, perfectly uncomplicated pig, in a poignant moment under a twilight autumn sky, sadly vacuuming the grave of his "dear wife, Paprika." It's a quiet, simple life, but a lonely one.

But that stormy night, awakening from a familiar nightmare of an overwhelming ocean wave, Pete senses that something or someone is there in the room with him. It's Pickles, a runaway circus elephant, trying to disguise herself as a table lamp with a lampshade over her head, silently mouthing "Help me!" while her keeper bangs on the door.

Pete is sympathetic to Pickles' desire to escape, and plied with fresh dandelion bouquets picked by the plaintive pachyderm, he finally takes her in, but Pete is totally unprepared for life with an exuberant, imaginative, and utterly fearless elephant. Pickles shakes up Pete's life with dives off Niagara Falls (well, sort of) and a climb up the Matterhorn (sort of). Pete floats down a Venetian canal (also imagined) with Pickles serving as the gondola while Pete poles her along with his broom.

But then Pickles goes too far when Pete catches her trying on Paprika's favorite outfit in front of a mirror. When Pete asks Pickles to leave, the shocked elephant falls, breaking a water pipe, and the house begins to fill with water. At last, Pete finds himself standing on top of the submerged Pickles, barely keeping his own snout out of the water. He realizes that it is up to him to find a way to save his self-sacrificing friend's life along with his own.

Pete & Pickles is by turns silly, sad, sentimental, and a standout as a story of two unlikely but utterly likable friends. Breathed's digital illustrations have the same edgy, surreal atmosphere as his award-winning Opus cartoons and his best-selling hit from 2007, Mars Needs Moms! (reviewed here February 12, 2007). Critics love Breathed's splendid merger of serious art and cartoon style, but kids will totally get this story of two friends who together are more than the sum of their separate parts.

School Days! The New Bear at School by Carrie Weston

It's always exciting when there's a new kid in class, and Miss Cluck's class--Leticia, Maxwell, Fergus, and the mice gang--are all atwitter, especially when they hear that the new guy is a bear! Leticia hopes he's fluffy and pink like the one on her lunch box, Fergus imagines a Paddington in Wellingtons type, and Maxwell wishes for a funny, floppy bear with velvet paws.

But their fantasies vanish when the real Boris the grizzly cub arrives. Boris is no cute and cuddly fantasy bear. He's BIG, he's HAIRY, and he's definitely . . . SCARY! Poor over-sized Boris tries to fit into a schoolroom definitely designed for smaller animals, but as the day wears on, nothing goes well. He crumples his seat when he sits down and booms out his "One, two, three, coming ready or not," at game time, unaware that he is scaring the hair off his small classmates. Despite Miss Cluck's well-meaning interventions, Boris finds himself eating lunch all alone and sitting outside the story circle that afternoon.

By the time his classmates scamper out at the final bell, Boris is resigned to his fate as the big, bumbling class pariah that nobody will befriend. Sadly, barely holding back a sob, he plods along the path, falling far behind his chattering schoolmates as they plan their afternoon playtime. Then, as they pass through the woods, the happy crew suddenly find themselves surrounded by the neighborhood bullies, the intimidating rat pack. They are outnumbered, encircled, and overwhelmed. Whatever shall they do?

Just as big old Boris is about to trudge into view, the group realize that what they need is a big, hairy, scary--friend--maybe even one who is a grizzly bear. And they know just where to find him!

In Carrie Weston's brand-new book, New Bear At School, Tim Warne's gentle closing illustration of Miss Cluck's class, ready for story time, with Fergus, Leticia, and Maxwell settling down in Boris' furry lap, speaks volumes about the value of even unlikely friendships.