Chu's First Day at School

Starred review from May 26, 2014
In his second outing, Chu the sneeze-prone panda is anxious that his classmates won’t like him. At school, the students take turns introducing themselves and what they love to do (“My name is Pablo. I love to climb up things,” says a tamarin). “There was a lot of chalk dust in the air,” writes Gaiman ominously, and Chu soon shows off his singular talent with a sneeze that blows the roof off the school and sends everyone flying (“That’s what I do,” he says). Gaiman and Rex expertly blend humor and tension to delicious narrative effect. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.