August 14, 2023
Pale-skinned young Lawrence is reluctant to head “out there,” beyond his small cottage’s backyard (“Out there was very big. Out there was very loud”). In desaturated images with electric-hued highlights, Brian Cronin (The Lost House) shows Lawrence safely within the fence, buried in a book. Sophia, a bird with fluffy blue feathers and a bright pink topknot, travels from tree to tree, avoiding the ground “down there” (“Down there was dark. Down there was bumpy”). When Sophia walks to the end of a long branch and spies Lawrence through his bedroom window, they become good friends, enjoying pastimes that don’t require venturing out. (One spread shows Sophia perched high up, wearing a costume wig with long, lime-green braids as Lawrence declaims, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.”) Eventually, Sophia moves her nest closer to Lawrence, who builds an outdoor tent to be closer to Sophia. And when rain and thunder drive the two to check on each other, each leaves their respective comfort zones to do so. In a lightly rib-tickling examination of fright and friendship, Doreen Cronin (Click, Clack, Moo) suggests that shared perspectives and accountable friends represent a promising path to wider vistas. Ages 4–8.
December 15, 2024
Will this close friendship weather the ultimate test? A light-skinned child named Lawrence and a blue-feathered owl named Sophia do everything together. From horseback riding to scaling mountains to sailing the high seas, they are "big and bold and fast together." Featuring whimsical, bug-eyed characters and pastel hues, the art will elicit giggles--a page turn reveals that the mountain the two have just climbed is nothing more than a hill, while the sea they've sailed is a wide flat rock in the backyard. While Lawrence and Sophia are reading library books one day, their peaceful time is interrupted by a commotion. Sydney, a light-skinned child whose face is mostly obscured by an oversize ski cap, has moved in next door to Lawrence and is building a treehouse. Lawrence is happy to make a new pal; Sophia is displeased when the children race off without her. Sophia's reactions range from jealous to forlorn and ungenerous, reflecting the real-life hurt feelings that often ensue when a duo becomes a trio. Sophia even nearly sabotages her own budding friendship with Frog. The text wisely softens the experience with inclusive gestures--rather than adverse reactions--from Sydney and Lawrence. The book subtly and humorously encourages children to open up their friendship circles while acknowledging how daunting that might seem. Funny and wise.(Picture book. 3-6)
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