Capy Capy Capybara

The internet’s favorite chill chonk stars in this graphically crisp, enthusiasm- powered picture book. “Capy/ Capy/ Capybara/ Little beauty,/ such a cutie!// Yay for Capybara!” extols Harper (I Am a Good Friend), gushing over everything from the large rodent’s “tippy-tappy toes” to its eating habits before setting a tidy plot in motion. When the hot sun sends Capybara splashing into the river, soaking a long-legged, orange-beaked bird, the wet avian extracts a “nose to beak” promise: “No more splashing/ for a week.” But during a bubbly underwater dive, in which the rodent’s potato-like form seems gracefully suspended in aqua space, Capybara spots a gator closing in on Bird. The event necessitates a second giant splash, one that breaks the promise but saves the day, earning Bird’s gratitude and a new vow of “Friends forever.” The artwork’s clean profiles and shifts between landscape spreads and vignettes build momentum and comedy, while cooing narration makes a fluttery counterpoint to the protagonist’s unflappable calm. It’s a cuddle-worthy romp about caring under pressure that should have readers cheering, “Yay for Capybara!” Ages 3–5. (Apr.)