There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter by Elayne Crain, illustrated by John Ledda (Feiwel and Friends, 40 pages, ages 4-8). Freddie’s stressed about a new babysitter, and his parents are so rushed getting out the door that they don’t notice anything unusual. But there’s definitely something odd about the babysitter who wears a trench coat, a bowler hat, and has a furry face and a black mask. The dog seems jumpy, and the babysitter refuses to take off the trench coat, but at least things are not boring. Before long, three raccoons have emerged from the coat, and everyone has a fun evening of puzzles, books, and games. Dinner is garbage, and the babysitters’ manners are appalling, but those details aside, Freddie has a great time. By the time his parents come home, and the “babysitter” has gotten bundled back into a coat and hat, he’s decided that this sitter is pretty special.

This is one of those picture books where the illustrations tell more than the words, and readers will get a kick out of seeing the humans duped by what is obviously three raccoons in a trench coat. This could be a good book to share to help kids who are having a new babysitter. On a side note, this reminded me a lot of the chapter book series Two Dogs in a Trench Coat.

Into the Bewilderness by Gus Gordon (HarperAlley, 192 pages, grades 3-7). Luis is a friendly bear who wonders what’s in the world beyond his woodland home. Gus is a grumpy mole who has no interest in traveling but loves his friend Luis. When Luis gets two tickets to see a play in the big city, he decides to set off on an adventure, and Gus reluctantly joins him. The journey is long, filled with funny mishaps and philosophical musings, and when they finally get to the theater, Luis realizes he’s left the tickets at home. Accepting the inevitable, the two animals head back home, their friendship stronger than ever having survived the stresses of travel together.

Fans of graphic novels featuring animal characters with contrasting personalities (e.g. Peter and Ernesto, Narwhal and Jelly) will get a kick out of this story filled with both big questions and dad-joke level humor. I thought at first it was going to be over a lot of kids’ heads, but it quickly took some goofy turns that assured me younger readers will enjoy it. The art is beautiful, too. And on another side note, this made me think of one of my favorite picture books, Nobody Owns the Moon.