Cornbread & Poppy at the Carnival

Praise for the Cornbread & Poppy series:
An IndieBound Bestseller 
A 2022 Kirkus Best Children's Book
A Horn Book 2022 Summer Reading List pick
An Amazon Best Books of the Year for Ages 6-8 for 2022 
A Junior Library Guild pick
A Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Younger Readers for 2022 pick
An ABA’s 2022 Best Book For Young Readers Catalog pick
A Tiny Beans Best New Chapter Books for Kids of 2022
A Connecticut Nutmeg Award nominee
A Cybils Award finalist
A Nerdy Book Club Best of 2022 pick 
A School Library Journal Early Chapter Book List pick 
A 2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center Children’s Choices list pick 
A Good Housekeeping Best Kids' Books of 2022 pick
A 2023 Bank St College Best Books pick
An International Youth Library White Raven
A Sunshine State Young Reader Awards nominee

* "The lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations deftly create settings and clearly reveal characters’ emotions. A rewarding choice for young readers."

* "Cornbread and Poppy are endearing characters, poised to join the ranks of other memorable early reader sets of best friends old and new, including James Marshall's George and Martha."

* “Cordell’s pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are textured and appealing, supporting the texts and illuminating vocabulary that might be out of sight-word range for new readers building fluency."

* "Cordell’s trademark loose artwork, rendered in pen and ink with watercolor, is energetic and wonderfully captures gray Cornbread’s and tan Poppy’s activities, easy camaraderie, and expressive faces.... Delightful."

* "Cordell’s loose, Steig-like ink line makes emotions easy to read as the duo’s interplay builds.... Their well-built adventure…offers exertion, discouragement, and a wonderfully improbable change of fortune."

"No need to visit a museum to find an exhibit of best friendship; see it on display right here."

“Brimming with imagination, energy, and wit. Just right for young readers.”
 

“Every scene comes to life in [Cordell’s] expressive pen-and-ink drawings."

"Cordell’s charming pen-and-ink illustrations with watercolor lend a feeling of coziness to this tale of friends who are different. Short sentences and repetition of key phrases make the story easy to follow for those transitioning to early chapter books…A perfect choice for fans of Jacqueline ­Davies’s 'Sydney and Taylor' series, and other dynamic duos."

“Cordell’s scratchy illustrations seem like descendants of Edward Gorey…. A twee answer to “Frog and Toad” that will serve readers of early chapter books.”

“Into the society of [Frog and Toad, George and Martha, and Bink and Gollie] we can now welcome two mice, one prudent and the other cavalier…. [Beginning] with an Aesop-like predicament…Mr. Cordell’s humorous watercolor-dappled ink drawings keep things buoyant as Cornbread and Poppy bundle up and venture off—at which point their story takes a contemporary turn.”

“Frog and Toad vibes are strong in this new early reader series about two mice who are best friends...Illustrated in muted pastels that reflect the season, the three short chapters pack in a lot of adventure…”

"Pair of Mice Find Friendship Very Nice"
 

“This sweet friendship book by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell reminds me of books I loved reading with my kids when they were younger.”

“…perfect for young readers ready to move beyond picture books. It captures the importance of individuality and of stepping out of your comfort zone, with a friend who understands that it can be scary sometimes. Even adults will enjoy reading along…”