Back to School with Bigfoot

Bigfoot has a giant case of back-to-school jitters in this comedy about facing everyday fears. Berger (Crankenstein) and Brockenbrough (The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy) cleverly transfer the familiar anxieties of school-bound kids to their hairy hero. Shopping for clothes is a particular challenge for this “extra-extra-large” creature (“You Rip, You Buy,” warns a dressing-room sign), and Bigfoot’s fur makes getting a haircut an ordeal, too. Pressler, in his first children’s book, places Bigfoot in numerous slapstick scenarios, which are all the funnier since all of his classmates are human. But worries seem less monstrous when he starts remembering all the fun things that come with school, including playtime and art projects with friends. As fear gives way to FOMO, Bigfoot proudly stomps off to school—a reassuring model for kids big and small. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: (for Berger) Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates; (for Brockenbrough) Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (June)