Julius and Macy: A very brave night by Annelouise Mahoney

Julius, a fluffy badger cub in a blue cape and Macy, a shy white mouse in a pink dress, love to play together. They play together in the forest in the soft evening, Julius as a brave hero who will swing to the rescue or capture something, while Macy prefers to rescue smaller creatures and think about helping others.

When their snacks disappear, Julius and Macy set off into the forest to find them, despite Julius' scary stories of the goblins who lurk in the woods. But when they come through the dark to a cave, and see a frightening shadow, it's Macy who takes the lead and finds a new friend, the lonely racoon kit who took their snacks.

Soft pastel illustrations show a pink sunset fading to the grays and blues of twilight in the woods, then to the glowing yellow of the cave. Julius and Macy are shown making yellow stars on the title page, which are then scattered throughout the book, hanging from the trees and shedding a gentle light. All the art is in muted colors with feelings shown through the movement of the animals' bodies more than their indistinct faces.

This would be an additional choice showing the importance of kindness and friendship, but I was disappointed by the subtle but pervasive gender stereotypes. Julius wears blue and is bold and daring, eager to show how brave he is and more active and aggressive. Macy wears pink and is small and quiet, showing gentleness and kindness, and mostly following Julius' lead, until her more emotive personality is required when she moves forward to offer friendship and forgiveness to the raccoon kit. Julius waves a play sword and swings on a rope; Macy wears fairy wings and carries a star wand. On the end pages Macy is shown painting stars and pouring tea while Julius strings the stars and waves his sword.

There's nothing wrong with having contrasting characters, some more outgoing, some quieter, or praising gentler qualities, but careful thought should go into how these are represented and the gender distinctions they promote and I don't think that was considered in this book.

Verdict: If you have parents who like this kind of sweet friendship story and prefer traditional gender norms, it will probably find an audience in your collection. However, there are many similar friendship stories that have more neutral gender references.

ISBN: 9781542007160; Published April 2021 by Two Lions; Review copy provided by publicist