NOTHING IS SCARY WITH HARRY

A little girl convinces her parents of the importance of her blanket in this debut picture book.

A girl named Katie loves her blanket, Harry, because he makes things less frightening. With Harry, she can face down thunderstorms, doctor visits, stage performances, unfriendly older relatives, roller coasters, and public speaking. When strangers confront her about being too old to carry a blanket, Katie just informs them that no matter how big she is, she won’t give up Harry. When Mom says Harry is too worn out, Katie first cries, then gives a well-stated reason why he should stay. Mom admits that the world is a scary place, so if Harry helps, then Katie should get to keep him. Katie holds onto Harry right up until she wraps him around a child of her own. In this engaging story, Bell’s (The Adventures of Sophie Mouse, 2018, etc.) charming paint and colored-pencil illustrations showcase Katie’s love and bravery and feature diverse characters. McElligott switches from rhyming couplets to nonrhyming interjections, making for an uneven read-aloud experience, but uses an accessible vocabulary with only a few challenges (“swaddled”).

Parents who encourage children to leave their treasures at home may find the heroine unhelpful, but for kids and adults who embrace these objects as coping mechanisms, this sweet tale should ring true.