Loud!

A restless student channels energy into collaboration in Robbins’s portrayal of schooltime socializing. Portrayed with bear-like ears and coral curls, Abigail starts the story in class, where, instead of writing, “she wanted to do scribbling... and fiddling with her hair... and fiddling with Lottie’s hair,” actions that see her sent to the “calming down room.” Attending music class for the first time afterward, she finds that her peers seem comfortable with their instruments, while “Abigail just couldn’t keep up.” When the frustrated protagonist lets loose a scream, captured in a page-filling burst, the music instructor suggests that Abi harness her voice by singing. Everything falls into place as the students form a band and Abi discovers that songwriting is an ideal outlet (“wanna stand proud/ And I wanna be LOUD”). Thick blue lines partially outline Robbins’s loosely drawn renderings, which include depictions of varying abilities and species. A QR code links to the group’s song. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)