Publishers Weekly - October 30, 2017

Rita Rides Again

Hilda Offen. Troika (IPG/Trafalgar Sq., dist.), $8.99 trade paper (32p) ISBN 978-1-909991-22-4

In one of two books opening the Rita the Rescuer series, readers meet a girl who transforms into a superhero in order to prevent various mishaps, in this case at a castle where Rita’s Granddad Potter serves as a guide. The story bridges picture book and early reader territory; a mix of comics-style panels and larger scenes show off Rita’s exploits, which include scaring away a ghost (“She gave a terrible roar and pulled a scary face. Sir Toby shrieked in terror”) and defeating a slew of knights in a jousting tournament. Readers are thrown into the story without much context—they’ll want to start with Rita on the River, available simultaneously—but watching Rita handily defeat peacocks, hedge mazes, and monsters without breaking a sweat is sure to fuel some imaginary heroic fantasies on the part of readers. Ages 5–7. (Jan.)

★ My Friends Make Me Happy!

Jan Thomas. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $9.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-544-

96655-0

“Yay! Look who’s coming! My friends!” cheers Sheep on the
title page of this high-energy addition to Thomas’s Giggle
Gang series. After Donkey, Bear, and Duck show up, Sheep
drops a question on them: “Can you guess what makes me
happy?” Readers will probably infer the answer from the
book’s title, but the other animals
are stumped, even after Sheep hints
that the answer begins with an F.

(“Turnips!” shouts Duck, not getting it at all.) Thanks to mounting frustration at all of the wrong guesses, Sheep looks as frazzled as can be while eventually yelling “My friends make me happy!” As always, Thomas’s thick-lined cartooning brings over-the-top emotion to each scene:

readers young and old will recognize the truth that friendship can be both wonderful and exhausting. Simultaneously available: My Toothbrush Is Missing. Ages 4–7. (Jan.)

Battle of the Bands

Melody Reed, illus. by Émilie Pépin. Little Bee, $5.99 trade paper (112p) ISBN 978-1-4998-0564-2

A quartet of culturally diverse third-grade girls gears up to
compete in a battle of the bands competition in this cheerful
opening title in the Major Eights series, narrated by keyboard
player Jasmine. There are some expected bumps: Jasmine
commits the group to performing before checking with them,
and she picks out a love song for them to play that doesn’t suit
anyone. But these and other troubles are tidily resolved as the
girls recognize that having fun is more important than win-
ning. There’s little doubt that the Major Eights will surmount
their obstacles, but Reed (a pseudonym of Rie Neal) creates
real emotional tension along the way. Final art not seen by
PW. Simultaneously available: Scarlet’s Big Break. Ages 6–8.

Author’s agent: Carrie Pestritto, Prospect Agency. Illustrator’s agency: Bright Agency. (Jan.)

★ Grilled Cheese and Dragons

Nancy Krulik, illus. by Ben Balistreri. Penguin Workshop, $6.99 trade paper (144p) ISBN 978-0-515-15831-1

Born Serena, the rowdy princess of Empiria prefers a name
that better suits her temperament: Princess Pulverizer. In this
very funny series kickoff, Krulik tackles sexist double stan-
dards and plays with fantasy tropes as
the princess attempts to become one
of her father’s Knights of the Skround
Table (“perfectly square, but with
carefully rounded corners. Skround”).

Before she can enter Knight School,
she must complete eight good deeds
as part of a Quest of Kindness—easier
said than done. Princess Pulverizer
only succeeds in achieving one good
deed in this outing (though she does
befriend a timid knight and burp-prone dragon while trying
to escape an ogre), giving readers plenty to look forward to in
future installments. Exuberant cartoons from newcomer
Balistreri, an animation veteran, add to the story’s big sense of
fun. Ages 6–8. Author’s agent: Kenneth Weinrib, Franklin,
Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo. (Jan.)

Bug Blonsky and His Very Long List of Don’ts

E.S. Redmond. Candlewick, $15.99 (80p) ISBN 978-0-7636-8935-3

Benjamin “Bug” Blonsky, an impulsive seven-year-old who “spend[s] a lot of time in the quiet chair thinking about my choices,” stars in this mischief-stuffed early reader. Bug’s more than 20 rules of things to avoid (“#13 Don’t ask Principal Sternsly if she was pretty when she was young”) frame his school day as it unfolds, and his reader-directed second-person narration turns his story into an extended cautionary tale.

Redmond’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations (seen in b&w) feature jug-eared, freckle-faced kids and adults with saggy, caricatured bodies, underscoring humor that often revolves around farts and bad smells; Bug’s teacher, Ms. Munster, is seen bending over when a classmate tricks him into asking her, “Is Uranus the biggest?” Some adults may find the jokes distasteful, but kids will know that Redmond is on their side.