Nutmeg and Barley: A Budding Friendship

A social squirrel and a reserved mouse learn to appreciate each other in Bynum's (Altoona Baboona) gentle tale of budding friendship. The opening full-bleed spread exemplifies both the neighbors' differences and their commonalities as they listen to the same song: on a branch outside her brightly-colored tree house, bushy-tailed Nutmeg dances exuberantly to ""her favorite forest tune,"" while in his gray log home with muted sage trimming, Barley ""loved to relax to a little music."" Other details give hints of their personalities: flower gardens and a stone patio reveal Barley's landscaping prowess, and earthenware pitchers and plates decorate Nutmeg's cheery yellow kitchen. Although Nutmeg suspects Barley likes her in his shy way, she cannot understand why the fellow prefers to play solitaire on a lonely toadstool rather than join her in the trees for some coffee and gossip (""Never before had Nutmeg known a rodent she couldn't charm""). A misunderstanding that keeps the two neighbors at a distance coincides with a new evening silence: in one spread, a vibrant purple wash portrays the night-time sky against which Nutmeg stands disconsolately calling, ""Hey, someone start the music."" Eventually, Nutmeg finds Barley sick in bed and nurtures him to health. Her discovery that his harmonica has provided her dancing music seals their ""heartfelt friendship."" Ages 4-7.