Shark at sister tea

When Mama and Papa head out on an afternoon errand, they leave their daughters alone for the very first time on the island where the family lives. Thrilled with their autonomy, bow-wearing cat Sadie and scarved rodent Flora throw themselves a "sister tea." Delicately hued pen, ink, and watercolor vignettes by Ruzzier (Bianca and the Butterfly) capture the giddy feel of independence as well as the party's impressive trappings--the girls festoon a wisteria-hung branch and feast on a pink cake decorated with roses. Suddenly, a stranger appears, sporting a yellow rain slicker and claiming to be, in the sly words of Joosse (Roawr!) "a weary fish... erman." Readers will instantly recognize a shark--and not a baby one, either. The sisters' revelation arrives a bit more slowly, but spotting the guest's double row of teeth plunges them into action. Once they tie him up and toss him back to sea, there's only question left teasingly unanswered: will they tell their returning parents? It's a shark-in-sheep's-clothing story that celebrates childhood courage and resourcefulness as well as siblings' sacred bond. Ages 3--7. (May)

When their parents leave them on an island for the day, sisters Sadie and Flora must protect each other against an unexpected visitor. From the first pages, this small world draws readers in, moving from the broad view of the small house on a tiny island to close-ups of a charming animal family: Sadie is a cat, Flora is a rodent, Mama is a cat, and Papa appears to be a dog. With the day ahead of them, the siblings prepare a special teatime with Flora's Blue, a stuffed bear who's "bald and squeezed quite flat and only fancy on the inside." When a shark, cleverly disguised in a yellow slicker and hat, shows up, then threatens their celebration, the sisters fight back, managing to dispatch the danger before their parents return. As they share "a secret smile," the book leaves unresolved the question of whether they'll tell the story of their day or not, an ambiguity that might garner mixed feelings from readers. Ruzzier's soft watercolor washes are punctuated by friendly pen-and-ink drawings, while Joosse's text features poetic language, as in the opening line: "One seagull afternoon…two sisters waved goodbye goodbye." Gentle but fierce--an empowering tale of sibling adventures and care.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.