LITTLE SOCK MAKES A FRIEND

The footloose sock introduced in Little Sock (2019) finds his way back to Sock City.

As in Little Sock’s first book, the authors are evidently so dazzled by their premise that they forget to add a plot beyond what the title gives away. Making his way again through the tunnel at the back of the clothes dryer, Little Sock arrives in Sock City and gradually nerves himself to ask another solitary sock whether she’d like to be his friend. When she responds “Hmmm…Sure!” they go off to enjoy one side-by-side activity (playing with drones) and two shared ones, boating and frisbee. “Making new friends is fun.” Well, sure. Sock City is again depicted in busy crowd scenes as a pleasingly diverse place where none of the residents match another, but though Little Sock’s new buddy is at least individualized enough to be taller than he is, she never does acquire a name. Visually, all that really sets this apart from the previous outing is her drone—which is big and black and looks like it was stolen from the military. Sock-centric sagas that succeed include C.K. Smouha’s Sock Story (2019, illustrated by Eleanora Martin), and Jennifer Sattler’s One Red Sock (2019); try them on instead. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 83% of actual size.)

Too thin to stand alone.