THE NEW FRIEND

Sea, sun, ice cream, and friendship.

Friends Pip and Posey, a rabbit and a mouse, are back again, this time to take a trip to the beach and make a new friend. Illustrations rendered in gouache show the two intrepid beachgoers digging, wading, and shell collecting. But when Posy takes a nap and Pip begins to play with the dog that has set up his things beside them, things take a turn for the worse. Posy is awakened by their laughter, and even though Pip and the pup, Zac, make an effort to include her in their games, Posy does not enjoy herself and feels excluded. After an ice cream mishap, Posy helps Zac out, and at Posy’s suggestion, the now-happy threesome work together to build a sand castle. Though the plot is intentionally simple and geared toward toddlers and preschoolers, not enough happens here; while Scheffler does not fall victim to the temptation to overexplain, he neglects to provide enough information for young listeners to fully engage or understand precisely what the problem is and how it is resolved. Still, fans of the series will be happy to see their old friends, and children who love the beach may appreciate this flawed but passable tale.

A well-intentioned but not entirely successful beach outing.