Serafina Makes Waves by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal (Dial Books, 40 pages, ages 3-8). On rainy days, you can find Serafina inside with her stuffed bunny Noodles. Because Serafina hates, loathes, DESPISES water. Whether it’s the bathtub or the ocean, Serafina gives water a definitive thumbs-down. So when the “powers-that-be” (Mom and Dad) say she has to take swimming lessons, Serafina tries every trick to get out of them. But nothing works, and she finds herself one Saturday morning standing dangerously close to the pool with her friend Lennie. When Lennie gets overly excited by a ball, he accidentally knocks Noodles out of Serafina’s arms. Instinct kicks in, and the next thing she knows, Serafina is in the water rescuing her stuffed bunny. Much to her surprise (and her parents’ shock), she kind of likes it! And, Reader, nowadays you can find Serafina stomping through puddles, soaking in the tub, and snorkeling through the ocean.

Serafina’s got a lot of cat-titude, and kids will get a big kick out of her one-kitty rebellion against all forms of water. Amidst the spot-on storytelling and the hilarious illustrations, there’s a good lesson about trying new things. This would make a great end-of-the school-year story time with Judgy Bunny (below), Jabari Jumps, or a summer kickoff one paired with Matthew Burgess’s Caldecott Award-winning Fireworks.

Judgy Bunny and the Terrible Beach by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Linzie Hunter (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 40 pages, ages 30-8). What’s wrong with the beach? Everything, according to Judgy Bunny. It’s too hot, the water is yucky, and the sandcastles and kites other kids are playing with are nothing special. When JB gets bonked by a beach ball, he declares it too round until another bunny comes up to him with an apology and an invitation to join the rest of the bunnies. The judgement continues until Judgy gets hit by another beach ball and breaks it with a giant POP. That doesn’t feel great, but the other bunnies assure him they have plenty of beach balls and continue to make friendly overtures. Finally, not-quite-as-Judgy Bunny admits that he likes ice cream, sandcastles, kites, and most surprisingly, boogie boards, but he’s still not crazy about beach balls.

We’ve all been with some version of Judgy Bunny (or maybe been a version ourselves), and perceptive readers will discern that Judgy Bunny might be critical because he feels left out. As with Serafina, the story and cartoon illustrations are funny enough to be enjoyed on their own merits, but they could also start a good conversation about including others–even grumpy, judgy others.