Maple & Willow Apart

Starred review from June 1, 2015
Two sisters must adjust to being apart when one starts kindergarten. Nichols' pencil and digitally colored illustrations perfectly convey just how close Maple and Willow are-they even sometimes use pig Latin to communicate. The two spend the whole summer together, but they play especially hard the day before the Monday that Maple boards the school bus. Bereft, Willow doesn't quite know what to do with herself without her best friend. That afternoon, she's assaulted with a (not unkind) verbal barrage of all the exciting events of the first day at school, Maple's nose in the air, as if bragging. But as the week wears on, Willow learns to explore on her own and use her imagination to entertain herself, even gaining a new best friend: Pip, an acorn. And as Willow tells Maple about her own day, Maple's excitement wanes; though she likes school, she misses her sister, who sweetly finds a way to include Maple in what she is missing at home. Spot, full- and double-page illustrations with white backgrounds keep the focus on the girls and their relationship. Willow's footie pajamas, overalls, and high pigtails emphasize that she is younger than her sister, as do the girls' activities-Maple rides a two-wheeler, while Willow sits astride a branch with one end bent like handlebars. Ideal for sharing with sibling pairs about to be parted by the first day of school. (Picture book. 2-6)

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August 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 1-There are big changes on the horizon when Maple enters kindergarten and leaves little sister Willow behind. Left alone, Willow imagines an acorn friend named Pip to keep her company. Initially, Maple is thrilled with sharing her daily school report with her little sister, but when she realizes that Willow creates her own bustling adventures with Pip when she is away, the sisters' jealous roles are reversed. A sweet concession on Willow's part allows Maple to take Pip to school instead, as Willow happily turns to play with the new acorn friends she has discovered. The narrative emphasizes the change of seasons through an accessible child-centered perspective. "And on the last day of summer, the girls played together extra hard...because on Monday, Maple was starting big-girl school. Willow was a big girl, too...but Willow was staying at home." Pencil and digitally colored illustrations enhance the sweet girls' interactions. Hues in green, red, orange, and yellow accentuate the beginning of fall and the start to a new school year in this series' latest installment. VERDICT Fall into this lovely addition as sisters adjust to the excitement and the changes of a new year ahead.-Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015
Preschool-G Maple and Willow (last seen in Maple and Willow Together, 2014) are the closest of sisters, but then, as it does for most siblings, school separates them. The yellow school bus takes Maple away, and an initial series of sweetly sad vignettes shows Willow left alone to play with acorns. Worse, school turns Maple into someone newsomeone who chats nonstop about things and people Willow doesn't know. When Willow tries to tell Maple about her new friend, Pip, Maple is not especially interested, though to be fair, Pip is an acorn. So Willow devises ever more fanciful tales to pique her sister's interest. The playful pastel-and-line artwork, with backgrounds of autumnal trees, is as adorable as ever, but it has a serious streak as it shows the girls trying to navigate their new relationship. The happy ending is expectedsisterhood forever!but is satisfying nonetheless.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)