A little girl squirrel tries to hide the ways that she and her best friend are different.Sorrel and Sage are simpatico school friends who love being alike. The trouble starts when Sage invites Sorrel to a sleepover. Sage's home tree, a lush evergreen, is larger and houses lots more relatives than Sorrel's. Ashamed and worried, Sorrel makes a series of creative excuses to avoid inviting Sage to her house. When their play takes them near Sorrel's tree one day, however, Sage finds the old "broken and bumpy" cherry tree where Sorrel lives with her mother completely charming. Delightful ink-and-watercolor paintings create a cozy, decidedly British, and mostly old-fashioned world. The rabbit schoolteacher rings a hand bell, female characters are shown in skirts, and Sorrel and Sage carry satchels, but one picture shows a smartphone plugged in to charge. The airy, pastoral feel and engaging anthropomorphic characters keep the tone light and prevent the purposive plot from feeling preachy. The relatively lengthy text doesn't quite measure up to the quality of the artwork; occasional rhymes seem out of place, and a lot of alliteration can make it somewhat awkward to read aloud.The affirming message offers an important lesson about the joys of heterogeneity, so young listeners will likely enjoy making the acquaintance of Sorrel and Sage and pondering with them what makes a perfect friendship. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

PreS-Gr 1-Two young squirrel friends learn that their differences make them special. When Sorrel meets Sage, she is delighted to have found a friend who is exactly like her; but at a sleepover at Sage's house, Sorrel realizes that they might not be exactly the same after all. Unlike Sage's expansive oaken home, Sorrel and her mother live in a tree that is small and slim, and she doesn't have any aunties and cousins living close by. Afraid that Sage will discover their differences, Sorrel makes up excuse after excuse to avoid having a sleepover. When Sage does eventually visit Sorrel's home, her kind reaction and appreciation to their differences prove to Sage that their friendship is based on more than just their similarities. Gentle watercolor-and-line drawings bring the cozy forest world to life. Sage and Sorrel are drawn as two nearly identical grey squirrels and they and their forest home and particularly their tree-homes are drawn with delightful detail in soft pastel watercolor and pen illustrations. The bold black text on white background allows for easy reading and the text conveys Sorrel's apprehension and outlandish excuses with simple charm. VERDICT An excellent story to encourage children embarking on new friendships or experiences to be their true selves and a reminder that it takes bravery to open up and share our differences. Great for a friendship-themed storytime or one-on-one sharing.-Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Averiss (A Dot in the Snow) introduces two inseparable squirrels who like all of the same things in this winsome, playfully alliterative tale. When Sage invites Sorrel to sleep over, she's impressed by her bestie's lavish home in a sturdy tree whose sprawling branches accommodate her extended family. But the guest has a sleepless night, worried that her own "small and slim" tree house doesn't measure up. Convinced that "best friends don't have differences," Sorrel makes up wild excuses for not returning Sage's sleepover invitation, which Varley (Badger's Parting Gifts) portrays with comedic hyperbole in pastel-hued, charmingly detailed pictures: Sorrel's mother has turned green from eating a bad nut, two dozen visiting cousins have filled the abode with their belongings, and they've painted her house pink and the leaves are still wet. The collaborators creatively spin that last fib: when Sage at last spends the night, Sorrell's cherry tree has blossomed, and Sage tells her host she's "so lucky to be different," since no one else she knows "sleeps in pink clouds." This is a gentle celebration of similarities, differences, and friendship. Ages 4-7. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.