Published by Candlewick (released May 26)

Thanks to Candlewick for providing me with a free digital copy of this book.

Summary:  Khalil and his big, noisy family live in the upstairs part of a two-family house.  Mr. Hagerty lives by himself downstairs. They both like to spend time in the backyard, Mr. Hagerty gardening and Khalil hunting for bugs, rocks, and buried treasure.  Sometimes they help each other with words: Mr. Hagerty when Khalil can’t read a word in one of his library books, and Khalil when Mr. Hagerty can’t remember a word. One hot day, Khalil can’t find anything interesting and Mr. Hagerty only digs up small, shriveled carrots.  Discouraged, they retreat to Mr. Hagerty’s place for some milk and chocolate cake. That night, they both have ideas, and each one sneaks out to bury something for the other to find. The next morning, Mr. Hagerty digs up big juicy carrots, while Khalil unearths some treasures to play with.  They celebrate with carrots and more chocolate cake, and that night each one thinks about the same word: friend. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A brief, but beautifully told story with collage illustrations are as bright and cheery as a summer day.  Pair this with Birdsong by Julie Flett for a story hour celebrating intergenerational friendships.

Cons:  I can’t help thinking Mr. Hagerty’s joy about his gardening success will be short-lived.

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Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Straw always wants to be first and zips through any beverage like it’s nothing.  But one day, stuck into an icy slushie, he gets a brain freeze and ends up collapsed at the bottom of the cup.  A loopy crazy straw comes to his rescue, reminding him that sometimes it’s okay to slow things down. Straw learns to stop and smell the milkshake, slowing down enough to notice big red strawberries and swirly whipped cream.  It’s a lesson he doesn’t always remember, but most of the time he’s a bit more chill these days. 48 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  As she did in Spoon and Chopsticks, Amy Krouse Rosenthal has lots of fun with language and usually-inanimate objects to teach a lesson in a way kids will enjoy.

Cons:  While reading other reviews for this book, I learned that Amy Krouse Rosenthal passed away in 2017 at the age of 51.

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

https://amzn.to/2UdPzMR

Summary:  Bob is a dachshund with some work to do.  Up on the bed, he tosses off a doll and stuffed animal and knocks the bedside lamp and books to the floor.  Everything is perfect for his day-long nap. “Uh-oh. Suddenly everything is not perfect.” A cat is seen peering over the side of the bed.  Suddenly…pounce! The cat is up on Bob, with work to do. She crawls around on Bob, licks his ear, then finally settles down, snuggled up with Bob, ready to sleep all day.  40 pages; ages 3-7.

Pros:  Anyone with a pet will get a chuckle from this brief tale by Geisel honoree Mary Sullivan, and really, couldn’t we all use a laugh these days?  The illustrations are adorable and do a great job telling the story.

Cons:  I found myself wishing this were in the usual early reader book format.  I’m always looking for good short books for newly independent readers. This one fits the bill, but looks more like a picture book.

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