Humphrey the Egg-Splorer

Who’s afraid of cracking his shell? A grandson of Humpty Dumpty, that’s who. Humphrey Dumpty, a standout dreamer in his dozen, has high egg-spectations of living up to his grandfather’s boldness. Though he longs to venture outside the kitchen, his anxiety around gaining strength enough to survive a great fall is holding him back. He tries an extreme training regimen—including “swishing swords with the Samurai Spoon” and taking on heat and cold—with unsatisfactory results, finally settling into a warm stove bath (“somewhere quiet I can think”), and emerging with a new, hard-boiled confidence. Ali’s upbeat story blends humor, determination, and uncertainty into a can-do tale about getting started. The kitchen friends in Gubianas’s artwork sport rosy cheeks and sunny expressions, and secondary human characters are rendered with fantastical skin tones. A final image of Humphrey donning hiking pants, a protective hat, and a hefty backpack is a memorable one. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)