HORNBEAM ALL IN

An early reader with a big heart.

Hornbeam, an anthropomorphic moose, has many animal friends. In this series opener, which consists of three stories, Rylant uses controlled vocabulary to highlight a trio of especially important friends. The first is Eureka, a goose, who brings Hornbeam to a picnic that turns out to be a great big goose family reunion. In fact, it’s so big that Hornbeam humorously misses out on enjoying much-desired potato salad (giving the last bite to a gosling), since he’s preoccupied with meeting each individual bird. In the second story, Hornbeam’s furnace breaks, and his friend Cuddy (a bull) lets him spend the night. When Hornbeam’s snoring keeps Cuddy awake all night, the good-natured bull displays the same generosity of spirit that Hornbeam did in the first story. Finally, in the third tale, Hornbeam, Eureka, and Cuddy go to the pool to cheer on their skunk friend, Adorabelle, at a swim meet. During the course of events, Hornbeam discloses that he cannot swim, and his friends lovingly encourage him to overcome his anxieties to learn. As in previous Rylant–Howard collaborations, the illustrations ramp up the gentle humor in the text, with funny details like the quadruped moose wearing shoes only on his hind hooves, bumper stickers on animals’ vehicles, and especially snazzy attire for the geese (berets, turtlenecks, glasses).

All in for this dazzling series starter!