Brownie & Pearl Step Out
What child hasn’t eagerly anticipated attending a party only to feel a moment of apprehension and shyness when he or she approaches the balloon-decked front door? So it is with Brownie, a young girl in a bright, flowered smock and charmingly mismatched stockings who has second thoughts when she arrives at a friend’s birthday party. Thankfully, she has her cat, Pearl, in tow, and before Brownie can retreat, the outgoing feline slips into the celebration. When Brownie enters the lively, cat-inclusive soirée, she is relieved to find friends, games, and plenty of cake and ice cream. Rylant addresses the challenges and rewards of facing new social situations in short, conversational text perfectly suited to its young audience. Biggs’ digitally rendered, cartoonlike illustrations—featuring adorably quirky characters with large, round heads; a vibrant fuchsia-centered palette; and lots of eye-catching patterns and flourishes—make this first title in the Brownie and Pearl series as delicious and appealing as a triple-layered birthday cake. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Kristen McKulski