cover image Peep and Egg: I’m Not Trick-or-Treating

Peep and Egg: I’m Not Trick-or-Treating

Laura Gehl, illus. by Joyce Wan. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-374-30122-4

What’s the only thing more adorable than a Joyce Wan character? A Joyce Wan character in a Halloween costume. In this sequel to Peep and Egg: I’m Not Hatching, Egg might have lost his shell, but he hasn’t lost his negative attitude. His sibling, Peep, urges him to come trick-or-treating with her, but thoughts of vampires, mummies, and monsters are giving him pause (never mind that the “vampires” in question are heart-stoppingly cute costumed ducklings swimming in a pond). As in the previous book, when Peep stops trying to persuade Egg to join in the Halloween fun and leaves him to his own devices, he has a change of heart. It’s a familiar story of opening oneself up to new experiences, but Gehl’s lighthearted dialogue and Wan’s chunky, emotive graphics keep it feeling fresh. Ages 2–6. [em]Author’s agent: Erzsi Deàk, Hen & Ink Literary Studio. Illustrator’s agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency. (Aug.) [/em]