You Can't Catch Me!

November 15, 2024
The intrepid trio, last seen inMolly, Olive, and Dexter: The Guessing Game (2024), return for a new activity, with potentially emotional results. Molly the hare, Olive the owl, and Dexter the fox have a new game in mind: tag. Dexter slips behind Olive and informs her that she's "It." Deft of wing, Olive quickly tags Molly, who sets her sights on Dexter. When the two run a dizzying number of times around a tree trunk, he finds himself off balance and, worse still, slow. Dexter flags and finds he can't best either Molly or Olive--Molly's far too speedy, and Ollie's an amazing flier. "What are FOXES good at?" Clever cunning is the answer there, and Dexter puts his brain to use to find a solution to his problem. Though everyone's initially focused on winning, it's Dexter in the end who assures his friends with a hug that "WeALLwon, didn't we?" The feeling of being left behind or less fast than others shines through and will strike a chord with young readers. Rayner's idyllic watercolorlike illustrations supply a backdrop of pastoral scenes of fields and old stone walls. Tensions may rise, but these friends are always there for one another in the end. The comfort of this gentle world happily outlasts every minor problem.(Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2025
The three animal friends who live in an oak tree "at the edge of the meadow" are back for more lighthearted frolicking (Molly, Olive, and Dexter: The Guessing Game, rev. 7/24). Dexter the fox, who "loves chasing games," tags Olive the owl to get one started. Olive quickly tags Molly the hare from the air. Molly happily sets off after Dexter, and the two end up running in different directions around the oak tree. "BUMP!" Now Dexter is "it" (and dizzy), but Molly is "just too quick" and Olive is "just too good at flying." How will he ever catch his friends? This companion book features the same spirited fun as the first installment. Rayner's detailed, soft-hued mixed-media illustrations give her characters lots of charm; her light line work and effective compositions playfully convey movement. If Dexter can't run as swiftly as a hare or fly like an owl, he'll need to do what foxes are good at: "I can think of clever plans!" He slyly catches his friends off-guard in a crowd-pleasing conclusion. If you focus on what you can do, everyone wins. Kitty Flynn

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

December 13, 2024
Preschool-Grade 1 In this charming series' latest, woodland animal friends Molly the hare, Olive the owl, and Dexter the fox compete in a rousing game of tag. Getting the action started, Dexter boops his nose against Olive's feathered wing and calls, "You're It!" Off to the races, Olive flies through the air and swoops down to catch Molly, who then hops around the oak tree in pursuit of Dexter: "'Got you!' Molly says with a laugh, and off she whizzes again." Rayner's textured, delicate mixed-media illustrations are completely in tune with the lively action of the spare text. Captured midleap, the hare's muscular legs soar across the page's airy white space. Dizzy and unable to keep up with his speedy pals, Dexter feels too pooped to participate and considers dropping out of the friendly race. Not content to be mistaken for a sore loser, the fox reflects upon his individual strengths and finds a clever way to stay in the game. This playful picture-book romp will catch the interest of the storytime crowd.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2025
The three animal friends who live in an oak tree "at the edge of the meadow" are back for more lighthearted frolicking (Molly, Olive, and Dexter: The Guessing Game, rev. 7/24). Dexter the fox, who "loves chasing games," tags Olive the owl to get one started. Olive quickly tags Molly the hare from the air. Molly happily sets off after Dexter, and the two end up running in different directions around the oak tree. "BUMP!" Now Dexter is "it" (and dizzy), but Molly is "just too quick" and Olive is "just too good at flying." How will he ever catch his friends? This companion book features the same spirited fun as the first installment. Rayner's detailed, soft-hued mixed-media illustrations give her characters lots of charm; her light line work and effective compositions playfully convey movement. If Dexter can't run as swiftly as a hare or fly like an owl, he'll need to do what foxes are good at: "I can think of clever plans!" He slyly catches his friends off-guard in a crowd-pleasing conclusion. If you focus on what you can do, everyone wins.

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)