Sleepover: Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa by Anna Dewdney

LLAMA LLAMA, BIG BIG DAY!

IT'S A FIRST--A SPECIAL STAY

WHO WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF LLAMA?

LLAMA LLAMA'S GRAM AND GRANDPA.

Llama Llama is off to his grandparents' house for a sleepover visit all by himself. He and Mama pack together--some clothes and Llama's pajamas--and put
his bag in the trunk. Llama Llama carefully carries his little Fuzzy Llama to the car himself to sit beside him in the backseat.

Gram and Grampa are waiting when they drive up. They hug Llama Llama a lot. Grandpa takes his bag, and with a last kiss and hug, Mama is off.

Gram takes little Llama into the kitchen for some cookies and milk, and then they go to help him unpack.

OH, NO!
WHERE IS FUZZY LLAMA?

Llama Llama bravely says nothing, and Gram and Grandpa smile encouragingly and busily try to divert his attention to some outdoor doings. He climbs up on their big green lawn tractor and pretends to drive it. Gram lets him pull some carrots from the garden and even eat one. Still, little Llama can't help feeling sad about leaving Fuzzy Llama behind. Is Fuzzy Llama feeling alone, too?

Grampa seems to notice Llama Llama's worried look and hustles him down to his workshop. He shows off his tools, and he and little Llama build a small red chair, just the right size for Fuzzy Llama. It's fun, but.... Llama still looks sad.

Then it's time for dinner with Gram and Grampa. Llama Llama eyes what's in the serving bowls.

GRAM'S HOUSE HAS DIFFERENT FOOD.
SOMETHING SQUISHY, SOMETHING STEWED.

LLAMA TRIES IT AND IT'S GOOD!

Keeping things moving, Gram and Grandpa take little Llama outside for a look at the bright stars, and then it's time for Llama Llama's warm bath, toothbrushing and bedtime stories. Llama is quiet, but he can't quite find a smile even for the stories. Gram gives him a long hug and a bed-night kiss, but... oh, dear! What's all this? Is that a tear?

LLAMA LLAMA NEEDS FUZZY NEAR,
BUT FUZZY LLAMA ISN'T HERE.

But it's Grampa Llama to the rescue. He leaves the bedroom, and when he comes back he has something very familiar looking in his arms.

WHEN GRAMPA WAS A LITTLE BOY,
HE ALSO HAD A SPECIAL TOY.

Yes, it's Granda's old fuzzy llama toy, in blue striped pajamas like Llama Llama's, no less, in Anna Dewdey's latest, Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa (Viking Books, 2015), in which her beloved character learns that this is his home... away from home. In their simple way, Dewdney's stories document those preschool milestones with a genuine sweetness that is never saccharine or trite. Dewdney's shrewd use of humor in the illustrations reveal emotions while adding to the fun. Sharp-eyed kids will likely notice Mom's car driving away with the forgotten Fuzzy looking sadly out the rear-view window, and the panel in which Llama Llama, Gram, and Grandpa, realizing the seriousness of the Fuzzy-less bedtime situation, give the reader triple and identical "Uh-Oh!" looks, is a priceless picture book moment.

Every toddler should be lucky enough to know the Llama Llama stories. (See reviews here).

Bunny Mine: Bella Loves Bunny by David McPhail

BELLA BRUSHES HER HAIR.

BUNNY LOVES BEING BRUSHED.

Bella  and Bunny have got a good thing going. They do everything together.

Bunny wiggles her nose as Bella arises and slips on her bunny slippers. Bunny plants the seeds as Bella smells the blooms. Bella eats her lunch and Bunny nibbles carrot cake.

Bella tickles the ivories on her toy piano, and Bunny... does the bunny hop. They twirl and whirl, chase and race all day.

And when day is done, Bunny helps Bella choose a charming nightgown and the two slip into bed, Bunny's wee bed beside Bella's big girl bed. Paw in hand, they slide into sleepytime together.

The Caldecott-winning David McPhail's latest, Bella Loves Bunny (David McPhail's Love Series) (Abrams Applewood Books, 2013), companion book to his Ben Loves Bear (David McPhail's Love Series) offers his trademark soft pastel images with an endearing portrayal of a girl who loves her toy bunny so much he seems to come alive in her imagination. McPhail's illustrations never fail to please, and Bella and Bunny are a pair of thoroughly charming buddies.

Holding On! It's Mine! by Tracey Corderoy

LULU HAD COME OVER TO PLAY WITH BABY BEAR.

"I'M PLAYING TIGER WITH RORY," SAID BABY BEAR.

"I LOVE TIGERS!" CRIED LULU.

A friend of my friend is my friend, right?

Baby Bear's fuzzy orange tiger toy is his best friend,  Lulu approves of his choice, and for a while all goes well with the playdate. But when Baby Bear gets rumbly in his tumbly and goes to fetch some goodies, things take a turn for the worst when he comes back with a snack:

LULU WAS PLAYING WITH RORY!

BABY BEAR GRABBED RORY'S LEG.  LULU HELD ON TIGHT!

Suddenly the playdate isn't working out so well! Lulu is in tears, and when Mom tells Baby Bear to share, he tries to placate Lulu with a zebra toy. It's got stripes, too, right?

But Lulu is having none of that. It's Rory or nothing.

So Mom steps in, takes charge of Rory for the moment and suggests a diverting trip to the park.

Grudgingly the two tots set off, but the playground is enticing. Studiously avoiding each other, Lulu tries playing solo on the see-saw, and Baby Bear sits down on the swing. Neither one of them seem to be going anywhere with their plans. See-saws that don't go up and down by themselves, and swings that don't swing are NO FUN! Lulu needs a partner, and Baby Bear needs a push! Hmmm!

Luckily, Mom knows how to facilitate a quiet compromise in Tracey Corderoy's It's Mine! (Good Books, 2012). Artist Caroline Pedler's sweetly rounded little bears are beguiling, and the use of bright orange flocking on her illustrations of Rory Tiger make the little bears' rivalry for the  fuzzy toy totally understandable. Sharing a beloved toy is hard (think having a friend over who demands to take your brand-new car out for a solo joyride!), and learning to share fairly is a big step in the preschool years. Pair this one with Anna Dewdney's latest best-selling Llama story, Llama Llama Time to Share (see my review here), which covers the same premise, managing to offer quite a bit of character development while sticking to a demanding but appealing rhyme that makes this life lesson go down sweetly.