Branching into Chapters: Sydney and Taylor Explore the whole wide world by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by Deborah Hocking

 It seems funny now to remember when Scholastic Branches debuted and how excited we all were to see beginning chapters with colorful illustrations and simple text. Now, it's just "another illustrated chapter book" although there certainly is some variation in how successful authors are at the genre.

Jacqueline Davies is best-known for her Lemonade War series, but she's branched out into a sweet beginning chapter series reminiscent of animal friendship series like Frog and Toad. Taylor is a hedgehog, Sydney a skunk. They live in a burrow under Miss Nancy's potting shed and one day they decide to go on an adventure. Both get nervous and scared at times, but they encourage each other to continue and have a satisfying trip with a happy conclusion.

The illustrations are adorable, with tiny details in their burrow, maps on the end pages, and a gently rolling countryside spread out for the two to explore. I appreciated that Davies didn't get stuck too much in the "odd couple" tradition, with one extrovert and one introvert. Taylor initially has the Big Idea to go exploring, but when Sydney, a "very contented skunk" takes him up on it, he immediately has second thoughts and the two work together to stay safe and encourage each other. However, this does make it a little difficult to differentiate between the two characters, since they are more nuanced. I was disappointed that, especially with two gender-neutral names, Davies defaulted to male pronouns.

Verdict: A sweet new beginning chapter series, this will please readers who like traditional, gentle stories and have read all of Frog and Toad and similar titles.

ISBN: 9780358106319; Published February 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library