Foxy

In a reassuring tale about first-day-of-school jitters, a girl commiserates with a magical but accident-prone fox. Curly-haired Emily is sleepless beneath her flowered comforter when Foxy (accompanied by a bluebird) prances through her window. “What’s the matter?” asks Foxy. “Whatever it is, I’m sure I can help.” Emily admits she might need a pencil and eraser to start school properly. Foxy confidently waves his “magic tail,” producing a penguin and an elephant. The startled bluebird puts a wing over its beak, and Foxy conjures the correct items. Before long, Emily giggles at Foxy’s errors (“And here’s a schoolbag!” “No, silly, that’s a pirate flag!”) and nearly forgets her anxiety. Foxy is tucking the penguin and other supplies back into his voluminous tail when Emily ventures, “What if nobody likes me?” “Now, you don’t need my magic for that, Emily,” Foxy replies. “I know you’ll make plenty of friends.” Dodd’s digital art, traced in inky black and sprinkled with candy-colored stars, zooms in for closeups and out to picture Emily’s ordinary room. Dodd (Meow Said the Cow) projects a cheerful attitude, combining make-believe with practical necessities. Ages 3–7. (July)