Cornbread & Poppy (Hardcover)

Matthew Cordell's early reader series about two mouse best friends reminds me of Frog and Toad and George and Martha — the same odd-couple warmth, the same gentle humor, the same affection for the friendship that works precisely because the two friends are so different. Cordell's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations make this winter adventure up Holler Mountain even more enjoyable. For newly independent readers ages six and up and for younger readers who love a good, long story.