A boy helps his nervous friend get ready for summer camp in this illustrated children’sbook about coping with difficult feelings.

Best friends Milo and Bobby always meet at the same big tree during their walks to school. One day, Milo seems upset. When he confesses to Bobby that he’s excited but scared about going to summer camp, Bobby assures him he’ll be fine. Milo’s feelings are hurt: “Milo couldn’t believe Bobby didn’t understand what a big deal this was!” With his emotions all mixed up, Milo later avoids their special tree, and Bobby wonders what he should do. Finally, he has a memory of his own first day of camp; he’d been so excited to go, but suddenly, it all felt too “big,”and he was worried he would hate it. A camp counselor’s wisdom helped him. Bobby races to catch up with Milo and gives him advice involving the word and. He explains that it’s okay to feel a lot of emotions at once, and as soon as Bobby realizes he can be both nervous andexcited at the same time, he has an easier time dealing with his big feelings. Monnerat, a veteran teacher, includes a co-author’s note to describe how the notion of andcan be freeing for children. She and Chalkley use accessible language throughout that never comes across as preachy; instead, the story feels like a conversation with a friend. The dialogue, in word bubbles that follow the characters across pages, is likely to help reluctant readers follow the conversation, and large images of emotion-related terms, sometimes in a jumble, aptly depict the sense of feelings in conflict. Some of Hopkins’ full-color cartoon illustrations seem unpolished, especially in smaller panels that lack detail, but the combination of pencil work and painted backgrounds effectively communicates the lesson. The final pages offer a fill-in-the-blank description of Milo’s first day at camp, as well as an emotion-themed puzzle.

A useful book for elementary schoolers still struggling with big emotions.