Sam's New Friend
Like Sam Is Never Scared (2006), this new book about Sam is a nonmessagy friendship story, with simple words accompanied by illustrations that show animal characters in human dress. Boys don’t play with girls, so Sam the dog is angry when his mother brings home her friend’s daughter, Ellie, a white kitten, who shares Sam’s room when she spends the night. But when Sam hears Ellie crying in the dark (her parents are divorcing), he comforts her—just as his parents comfort him. The next day, they play together. The clear, bright pictures show both the bonding and the heartfelt feelings. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Hazel Rochman