Valentine’s Guest House

When Emmet, an oversize tiger with a wide smile and crinkly emerald eyes, seeks a room at Valentine’s Guest House, Valentine and daughter Elsie, both portrayed as Black, roll out the welcome mat with jungle-themed decor. Unfortunately, their inclusivity is not matched by their patrons, humans of varying skin tones who all promptly flee. With some help from Emmet, pictured messaging on a computer while Elsie paints a sign (“Everyone Welcome”), the residence is soon bustling again, having shifted to an all-embracing business strategy that accommodates nonhuman occupants. Creative remodeling ensues: the door is cut larger when an elephant arrives, a rooftop hole gives a giraffe a room with a view, and underground spaces are created for those accustomed to burrows. Employing a painterly aesthetic, Sharland fully imagines the changes that come of Valentine’s welcome, making for an animal-focused portrait of interspecies harmony. Ages 3–6. (Aug.)