It’s Show and Tell, Dexter!

In his second outing, Dexter, a toothy, orange dinosaur toy, is freaking out about show-and-tell day at his owner, Jack’s, school. Dexter’s anxiety peaks—with psychosomatic symptoms such as “tummyache” and “clammy claws”—as he questions his self-worth: “What if Jack doesn’t think I’m cool enough for Show and Tell anymore?” Happily, Dexter nails it by just being himself. Ward’s gentle art features cut-paper forms with residual pencil outlines, providing an ad hoc quality to the spreads. Readers prone to anxiety over big events should be tickled by the idea that a toy has concerns too. Ages 3–7. [em](July) [/em]