Don’t Forget Dexter!

Oh no! Dexter the stuffed dinosaur has inadvertently been left behind at the doctor’s office by his “best friend,” Jack. Dexter may be a tiny toy in a very big waiting room, but he’s not panicking just yet. After all, he isn’t alone—Dexter is more than happy to allay his anxieties by breaking the fourth wall and chatting up readers: “Wait, what did you say? You think dinosaurs are awesome? Even better than trucks? Really? Me too.” But Dexter soon runs out of ideas and courage; after an escape attempt lands him in the waiting room’s aquarium, he becomes certain that Jack is “really never ever ever ever coming back.” (One page later, though, a tearful and mortified Jack bursts into the room.) Ward (Brobarians) is as funny as ever as she chronicles her orange hero’s nervous, no-filter state of mind, and her cut-paper, pencil, and ink drawings—with their visual asides, annotations, and shifts in scale—are irrepressible. It’s high anxiety made highly adorable. Ages 3–7. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Jan.) Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly identified the agent that represents the author.