Every Cowgirl Goes to School

In her fourth picture book, aspiring cowgirl Nellie Sue, normally a spitfire, is feeling deflated on her first day of school. Her best friend Anna sits with a new student on the bus, she gets hit in the leg during PE (“What do folks have against a good pair of boots?”), and a misunderstanding leaves Nellie Sue tearful and humiliated. If the girls’ reconciliation comes a bit quickly, Janni delivers useful information about bucking up after bad days (and dealing with annoying classmates), and thanks to Avril’s gouache and ink pictures, Nellie Sue’s rhinestone-sparkly personality is never in question. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Bernadette Szost, Portfolio Solutions. (June)