HAZEL AND HERBERT

A young anthropomorphic fox is surprised when the egg she’s planning to eat for breakfast produces a feathered friend.

Before Hazel takes home the egg she finds lying under a bush, she looks for its nest. That thoughtfulness infuses this sweet story, as do gentle humor and perfectly complementary watercolor art. When Hazel can’t find a nest, she takes the egg home, where her bespectacled, aproned father readies a frying pan for her favorite breakfast, soft-boiled egg with “sourdough soldiers.” Just then, the egg—cushioned in a cloth on the countertop—suddenly cracks open. “A baby bird stared up at Hazel. Well, this was inconvenient. How was she supposed to dip her soldiers in that?” Hazel’s unenthused when Papa says the bird will stay with them, but she rallies when given the chance to name him: Herbert. A series of adorable illustrations, paired with succinct text, depict Herbert as a loving but often irritating younger sibling to Hazel’s flattered but beleaguered big sister. After Herbert accidentally ruins Hazel’s artwork, she shouts, “I WISH YOU WOULD JUST GO AWAY!” The text switches briefly to Herbert’s point of view when, late that night, he sorrowfully follows Hazel’s heated suggestion. The next day, Hazel’s relief at finding Herbert gone swiftly turns to worry. Eventually, Hazel and Papa head outside in yellow slickers as they search a rain-drenched forest for the runaway. The warmhearted ending reinforces the idea that friendships are complicated, conciliatory, and ultimately gratifying.

Unfailingly tender.