BRAVERY SOUP

Together Zak the fox and Big Bear cook up a scheme to build courage in their raccoon friend Carlin, who is afraid of the dark, new things, and being alone. If he eats some bravery soup, his gasping, shuddering, shaking days will be over, but one ingredient is missing, and he’s the raccoon to get it. He must march through the woods, cross a stream, climb a mountain, and find the box in a monster’s cave; therein lies the needed secret ingredient. Carlin tosses aside the aids his friends have given him for the journey as he finds he doesn’t need them, doing better on his own. There are no surprises here—everyone knows what’s in the box. But the well-conceived art—bold, vibrant acrylics—capture Carlin’s fear and hope, his friends’ complicity and concern, and finally his determination and triumph. Whether wide-eyed with fear or teeth-gritted in determination, it is the charming illustrations that make Carlin’s predictable predicament serviceable and even palatable. (Picture book. 4-7)