What About Harry?

Jealousy nearly comes between two best buds in this solo offering by Anderson (Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure). When bears Sam and Harry pretend to be kings, it quickly becomes clear who is more kingly. Harry declares he will make a “fancy” crown, but his paper headpiece is nothing compared to Sam’s jewel-encrusted creation, and Harry’s dirt castle is laughably shabby compared to Sam’s expert fortress. Although Sam encourages Harry (“It’s perfect,” Sam says of the lopsided castle), the other forest animals remark only on Sam’s superior skills. “Sam is good at EVERYTHING!” one declares as the two bears pretend to be kings of the pond. Naturally, it all becomes too much for an increasingly insecure Harry, and water practically leaps off the page when he splashes everyone before stalking off with a growl. But the rift soon mends, with Sam readily accepting Harry’s apology and declaring him the “KING of splashes.” Anderson’s busy ink-and-Photoshop cartoon illustrations—full of speech bubbles and crowded forest scenes—build in tension toward Harry’s outburst and its aftermath while offering a portrait of the friends’ gleeful, if pat, reconciliation. Ages 4–8. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. [em](Feb.) [/em]