cover image Doodle with Maisy

Doodle with Maisy

Lucy Cousins. Candlewick, $8.99 paper (80p) ISBN 978-0-7636-6490-9

The toddlerlike mouse star of Cousins’s long-running series invites readers to complete and expand on crayon-style drawings. “Drip, drop, drip, drop. Fill the sky with rain,” says Maisy, as she steps across the page with an umbrella; an elephant appears opposite, where children are asked to draw water “splooshing from Eddie’s trunk.” When Maisy looks at her face in a mirror, readers are encouraged to draw their own faces. Animals appear frequently: after giving a zebra stripes, the narrator says, “These animals would like some stripes, too,” as a cat, snake, fish, and others appear against a yellow backdrop. The casual tone and creative suggestions are an open invitation for kids to stretch their imaginations. Ages 3–up. (Apr.)