Jenks Landry, Kate. Beatrice and Barb. Illustrated by Vivian Mineker. Kids Can Press, 2023. 978-1-525-30648-8. $21.99. Unpaged. Grades PreK-2.

For as long as she can remember, Beatrice has wanted a pet. After much begging and negotiating, Beatrice and her mother finally come to an agreement, and Beatrice gets her first pet: a Venus flytrap named Barb. Beatrice takes very good care of her new pet, taking Barb for walks and playing fetch with her. However, despite all of Beatrice’s efforts, Barb begins to wilt and droop. After an unproductive visit to the vet, Beatrice takes Barb to a little plant shop, where a friendly woman named Millicent helps them. Warm, colorful, digitally rendered illustrations complement this heartfelt story of friendship.

THOUGHTS: This is a great title for social-emotional learning collections. Beatrice displays tremendous responsibility for her pet and persists in finding a solution even when everything seems hopeless. In addition, the underlying message about how to take care of the ones we love is a powerful one, as is the idea that we are all special in our own unique ways.

Picture Book