Sam, the Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World (Leonardo, the Terrible Monster #2)

Twelve years after Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, Willems brings back Leonardo the monster and Sam, the boy who's afraid of everything (except Leo). Sam grabs the spotlight in this sequel, but he has competition: after running into a girl named Kerry and her monster pal, Frankenthaler, both of the young humans start screaming, terrified of each other. Annoyed, the monsters ditch the kids. "Figure it out," says Leonardo, strolling off the page with Frankenthaler. And they do: Kerry and Sam's timidity gives way to appreciating their differences and similarities--including a mischievous streak. Visually and narratively, this story is a lovely bookend to Leonardo; Willems makes use of the same sketchy cartooning, drab palette, distinctive fonts, and expanses of open space as he demonstrates that starting a new friendship--scary as it might seem--is worth it. Ages 3-5. Agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick & Pratt. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 1--Sam is scared of everything! Everything besides his wonderful friend Leonardo the Terrible Monster, that is. One day Sam makes a particularly terrifying discovery--Kerry and her monster friend Frankenthaler. Kerry just so happens to be the second most scaredy-cat kid in the world (after Sam, of course). Left alone together, Kerry and Sam are forced to face their fears and each other. Together they discover that they have more in common than they think. In addition to being scaredy-cats, they both hate romantic movies and love ice cream. They also learn a lot from their differences--Sam likes to play the flute, while Kerry prefers to rock out on her electric guitar. The pair soon realizes that perhaps other children aren't so scary after all. In the end, much to their monsters' surprise, the two scaredy-cats are replaced with two new friends. In this follow-up to Leonardo, The Terrible Monster, Willems has done it again. He makes the most of the oversize pages, which are sometimes filled with big, bold, text, and sometimes left nearly empty with tiny text or pictures for emphasis. The combination of capital letters and expressive illustrations is classic Willems, and will have young and the old laughing the whole way through. VERDICT Highly recommended for all library and at home collections. A perfect storytime read-aloud.-- Elizabeth Blake, Brooklyn Public Library