April & Mae and the Animal Shelter

February 1, 2023

K-Gr 2-In this series, each day of the week depicts an everyday adventure for two friends. This is the Thursday entry, with April and Mae each tackling a similar problem in her own unique way. Both girls want to help the new animal shelter. April, who is a dog lover, likes to use words. She will help shelter dogs by writing a letter to the newspaper asking people in her community to adopt a pet. Mae, who loves cats, enjoys hands-on activities. She will have a lemonade stand and use the proceeds from her sales to purchase cat food for the shelter. At first, it seems that Mae's initiative is more successful. A single letter seems destined to help only a single dog, whereas many lemonade sales can mean many cans of cat food. But Mae's strategy does have some implications for her friend. Supporting each other is a sweet quality conveyed in this simple story featuring one dark-skinned and one lighter-skinned character. April & Mae model volunteer activities that may be applicable for many kids, and bold cartoon illustrations and limited text on each page are a suitable match for the intended beginning reader audience. VERDICT Purchase where early readers are in demand.-Gloria Koster

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