7This compilation of three, short, cozy stories features a little girl named Lucy and her four animal friends: Marcel the mouse, Henry the rabbit, Dot the turtle and Adrian the snail. (Anton the bear also makes two surprise appearances!) Readers will be delighted to spend time in Lucy's world, as the friends share snacks on a picnic, celebrate a special birthday with a treasure hunt and find a new home for some lost baby chicks. Told with sweet humor and simple language, each of the bite-size stories contains its own complete adventure --- with an unexpected twist at the end! All stories are centered on the small, simple moments of the friends' days together, just what matters most to very young children. In a nod to Winnie-the-Pooh and its map of Hundred Acre Wood, a full spread at the beginning of the book features a bird's-eye view drawing that captures Lucy's world and shows where the stories take place, adding depth to the narrative. Award-winning artist Marianne Dubuc has created a perfectly charming storytime book that hits all the right notes. Her artwork, with its soft and subdued palette, beautifully captures the book's warmth. She presents her illustrations within panels, encouraging visual literacy and making the text easy to follow for pre-readers. This positive book explores key social skills for this age such as sharing, discovering new friends and helping others, making it a terrific fit for character education lessons on kindness, empathy and caring. Other classroom connections are introductions to counting and following step-by-step directions.