Baker’s inimitable Olive tackles a major childhood milestone with her usual panache. Olive may have had 17 play dates at her best friend Lizard’s house, but tonight is her first-ever sleepover. Baker infuses a familiar tale with a hearty dollop of zany humor that readers have come to expect from these quirky and appealing characters. When Lizard’s older sister regales the friends with a spooky tale, the inevitable occurs and Olive finds herself in Lizard’s suddenly unfamiliar room, sans a night light, desperately wishing she were home. Readers need not despair, as Olive and Lizard set out to conquer their fears in a courageous scheme that goes comically awry. Tilley’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations deftly capture the liveliness of the duo. While they highlight how overactive imaginations can turn even the most benign objects, such as a rubber ducky, into something sinister, she carefully maintains a comic element in her paintings. Baker’s splendid tale is just the thing to share with readers approaching this major event, or for those just looking for a good giggle. (Picture book. 4-8)
