Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World. (Sydney and Taylor #1) Jacqueline Davies. Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. 2021. [February] 80 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Taylor is a hedgehog who lives with his friend Sydney in a burrow under Miss Nancy's potting shed. Sydney, being a skunk, likes to nap in the burrow. He likes to warm his feet by the fire. He likes to listen to the strong, steady heartbeat of the earth, which you can only hear underground. Taylor likes those things, too. But sometimes Taylor gets ideas. Big Ideas!
Premise/plot: Taylor may just be having his biggest idea yet--to explore....you guessed it...the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. He has a map and everything. But he also has a mostly reluctant best, best friend. Will Taylor and Sydney leave their oh-so-cozy home to go on an expedition? How far will they go? Is the world as dangerous as Sydney thinks it is?
My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this one. I loved the characters. I loved the writing. I loved, loved, loved the illustrations. As an illustrated chapter book it is just excellent. How could anyone not love hanging out with these two? How could anyone not learn to love to read when you've got characters like Sydney and Taylor?
These two are best friends. There's definitely an interesting dynamic going on between the two. Taylor may dream big and have all these plans, ideas, goals, dreams, etc. But when it comes to putting them in action, well, Taylor isn't the big, bold leader you'd expect...not all the time. You see when hedgehogs get scared, well, they roll up into a ball. Sydney may seem reluctant and more of a follower, but Sydney also knows just how to handle danger. These two need each other. They are better for knowing each other and accepting each other.
Definitely recommend this one.
© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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