  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 09/01/2015 K-Gr 2—This new title in the "Read & Bloom" line of Bloomsbury's early chapter books follows two unusual best friends, a chicken named Clarabelle and a pig named Agnes. Clarabelle is afraid of new things and a bit of a worrywart, while Agnes relishes challenges and enjoys helping her feathered friend. The book is divided into four chapters—one for each season of the year. Whether at the beach or shopping for shoes in a large department store, Agnes helps Clarabelle overcome her fear of new situations and find the bright side. Cheerful, full-color illustrations grab the attention of newly independent readers, while the short, episodic chapters move at a good pace. The ratio of illustrations to text varies to include pages of text only, illustration only, and a mixture; the variety helps pull readers along. VERDICT An engaging visual design, charming characters, and funny, relatable story lines make this a lovely addition to chapter book collections.—Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 10/01/2016 Best friends Agnes (a pig) and Clarabelle (a chicken) star in a new chapter-book series for newly independent readers. In this first installment, organized by seasons, the duo plans a party, takes a trip to the beach, shops for shoes, and makes a pizza. Each short chapter is an individual episode in which one friend takes charge and the other experiences a fear or dilemma: Clarabelle worries that her not-so-surprise birthday party won’t work out; Agnes doesn’t like new places, especially the beach; Clarabelle gets lost in a department store; and Agnes finds their pizza too beautiful to eat. Designed for readers just graduating from leveled readers, this has sturdy paper; plentiful, full-color illustrations; large type; and lots of dialogue. The simple but sometimes lengthy sentences occasionally break across the page turn, and some words will be new to beginning readers, though they’re likely to have heard them. Humor mixes with these relatable tales of friendship, making this series starter fine fodder for fledgling readers. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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