The Bad Idea and Other Stories (Earl & Worm #1)

Via this three-story early reader, Pizzoli (Lucky Duck) chronicles an unexpected friendship growing between two new neighbors: extroverted saxophonist Earl, a white bird in a blue jacket, and book-loving introvert Worm, who lives in an apple-shaped abode. In the book’s first story, breezy slice-of-life line drawings introduce Worm as peeved by Earl’s bumptiousness, but Earl proves to be an attentive listener, and the two critters discover that they each dislike being alone. Tale two sees Worm seeking to discourage Earl’s copycat behavior by saying that she plans to paint her home “orange, with green stripes and purple polka dots,” and comeuppance arriving in the form of a surprise good deed. The third story finds Worm again fed up, this time with Earl’s clumsy attempts to help her complete a poem—until she realizes that Earl’s willingness to help makes him a good friend. This look at a warming relationship dynamic considers ways that proximate opposites can not only coexist but learn from each other. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Apr.)