Siblings Charlie and Mouse are back in this book for advanced beginning readers comprised of four short chapter stories set over the course of a single day. The morning begins with Mom’s breakfast preparations enlivened—and complicated—by requests from Charlie and Mouse to have pancakes in various shapes. Then the duo go shopping with Dad for Mom’s birthday present. Home again, Dad makes a cake while Charlie and Mouse decorate. In the final chapter, Mouse distracts Mom while Charlie comes up with an alternative to the burned cake that brings the story full circle. Droll humor (Mouse’s idea for the perfect birthday gift is tape, which Mom is always looking for) and often recognizable family dynamics make for an entertaining chapter book. Charlie and Mouse appear to be mixed-race, with a brown-skinned dad and white mom. In this outing, they are never identified by gender pronouns, and Mouse continues to express a creative, gender fluid sartorial style. (Ages 4–7)

In this heartwarming follow-up to Laurel Snyder's awardwinning beginning chapter book Charlie & Mouse, the two brothers prepare to celebrate one very special birthday: their mom's! Follow along as they choose the best pancakes, hunt for presents, decorate with snakes, and more. Things don't go exactly as planned . . . but with plenty of humor and heart, Charlie and Mouse prove that sometimes when things aren't perfect, what they turn out to be is even better.