Perfectly Pegasus

In Sima’s version of a crossover episode, Nimbus, the titular pegasus—who has purply blue wings and an aviator’s cap to match—meets Kelp, the unicorn protagonist of 2017’s Not Quite Narwhal. Nimbus, whose outlier status in the sometimes “too empty” sky corresponds to Kelp’s underwater backstory, has pursued a falling star to an island in hopes that wishing on it will bring about “someone to keep her company.” Kelp, whom Nimbus discovers standing sweetly in a meadow surrounded by butterflies and flowers, can’t find the star either. The two nevertheless revel in each other’s company (Nimbus flies in the rainbow generated by Kelp’s horn), and when Kelp introduces Nimbus to his congenial beachfront community of narwhals and unicorns, readers may find themselves shouting out, “Here are the friends you’re looking for!” Nimbus, however, wings all the way back to the heavens before realizing that she doesn’t need to find the star itself to “finish her wish.” If the resolution feels a titch lengthy, Sima rewards the audience with a great party ending: under starry skies, all the creatures—horned, mythical, and otherwise—gather for a truly adorable campfire event, replete with stargazing. Ages 4–8. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Mar.)