Happy Pudding by Kimberly Gee

 This is another one of the transitional chapters I purchased from Capstone this year. This one is definitely on the easier side, but as I am building my transitional chapters collection I am generally sticking to putting all the actual easy graphic novels into it, since they are either not leveled or don't fit exactly into any leveling system (and may all levels someday be a thing of the past, amen).

The story opens with a little map of "Yummy Valley" and the tree house shared by Arlo (a rhino), Alice (a hippo), along with a garden run by Spike the hedgehog and an underground home for Slide the snake. Arlo gets up in a blaze of sunshine and happily goes in to chat with his stove, Cooky. He decides a party will be nice and visits his friends in the valley, chatting with the mud puddle and other sentient items as well as his friends. With Alice's failed bread, cheerful music from Slide, Spike's berries, and the help of Cooky, they have a tasty pudding to share. The back includes a very simple recipe for bread or instant pudding with berries.

Verdict: This is clearly aimed a young audience and will be enjoyed by very young readers, either as a read-aloud or practicing their reading skills. It's a gentle story with little conflict and pleasant, pastel cartoons.

ISBN: 9781484679395; Published August 2023 by Capstone; Purchased for the library