MAYBELLE GOES TO SCHOOL

Maybelle the daring cockroach of Maybelle Goes to Tea (2008, etc.) makes decisions with her sweet tooth.

Maybelle, in her fourth outing, has not lost a bit of her spirit for adventure, despite following The Rules for cockroach safety, including, “never meet with human feet.” It's Maybelle’s fondness for cake that leads to her latest adventure, when she accidentally hijacks a ride to school on Mrs. Peabody’s Ten-Layer Tower of Taste cake for the school bake sale. Luckily for Maybelle, her buddies Ramona the cat and Henry the flea join her at school. It’s sharing day, and Ramona is gussied up with a bow. The friends work together to save Henry from the flea circus that one of the neighbor boys is starting. While Henry turns out to be quite the fashion plate—he loves the little pants the boy puts him in—he does not love being trapped in a cup. His quick-thinking cockroach buddy comes up with a plan to free him, turning this slim volume into a cinematic escape. Expressive and energetic pen-and-ink illustrations on every spread help transitioning readers decode any challenging words and enjoy the story. Ample space between words and generously sized typeface support reading too.

High-spirited action with well-developed characters make this series a hit every time. Where will Maybelle end up next? (Fantasy. 5-9)