First Day of Groot!

In this marginal story by the creators of Night Night, Groot, a young Groot, the extraterrestrial, treelike member of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, takes off on an educational adventure with his buddy Rocket Raccoon. Deneen’s clunky verse accompanies an image of the duo at the breakfast table (“Breakfast is the greatest/ meal of the day./ It gives you the strength/ to run and play”) before they embark on a trip across the galaxy, during which Groot gets fleeting, vague lessons in sharing, counting, and working together to defeat villains who appear suddenly. Full-bleed, vividly hued cartoons by Atkinson feature a hodgepodge of Marvel superheroes and villains whom kids in the target audience may not know, but Groot fans know what they’re in for. Ages 3–5. [em](July) [/em]