Rocket the Brave!
(Rocket)

PreS-Gr 1--In his latest story, Rocket the dog discovers a butterfly, and he and his new friend chase and play tag until the butterfly heads into a dark forest. Rocket is hesitant to follow, but screws up his courage and makes his way in. He finds that he likes the tall trees, the lush plants, and, of course, his friend butterfly. This is a slight story with the right ingredients for new readers--repetition, short sentences, and plenty of picture clues. While Hills's illustrations initially leave plenty of white space, when Rocket arrives at the forest the dark illustrations take over the page, heightening the "creep" factor and making Rocket's choice to follow the butterfly that much more poignant. VERDICT Readers who have enjoyed Rocket's adventures in his longer picture books and are eager to read on their own will be happy to find this story. A terrific easy reader for most libraries.--Mary Kuehner, Arapahoe Library District, CO