THE EXPLORERS

A child and her grandmother adjust to big changes.

Their backpack and purse stuffed with “adventure sandwiches” and “special pudding,” respectively, fellow explorers Etta and Grandma Maisie climb trees and build forts and earthworm castles together. Soon, however, they embark on separate adventures—Grandma Maisie moves into a retirement home, and Etta enters kindergarten. But Maisie’s neighbors and Etta’s classmates don’t seem to understand them. Etta’s worm castle revolts Aarav, Jiro dislikes Maisie’s pet frog, and nobody wants to share Etta’s “spinach and jam explorer sandwich” or Maisie’s “peanut butter and salami explorer pudding.” So when Indi invites Etta to play blocks, Etta declines, fearing Indi will dislike the gnome mazes she and Maisie always built. And when Olga invites Maisie to play Scrabble, Maisie feigns tiredness—“What if the rules were too tricky to remember without Etta there to remind her?” But when Indi and Olga rescue Etta and Maisie from a jam during the Grandparents’ Picnic, the explorers encourage each other to venture toward friendship. Though Maisie plants seeds with Jiro and Etta colors murals with Aarav, the duo keep some things “just for themselves”—vanilla and broccoli pudding, for instance. Etta and Maisie’s quirky bond radiates from Anstee’s soft-edged cartoon illustrations, and Hahn’s gentle text reassures kids and adults alike that it’s never too late to make new friends. Etta is brown-skinned, while Maisie is pale-skinned; background characters are diverse.

A sweet friendship tale for adventurers of all ages.