1. The illustrations are beautiful. They are made out of pen and ink with watercolor.
2. Matthew Cordell, author and illustrator, is a Caldecott Medalist from one of his previous books, Wolf in the Snow.
3. I loved the polarizing themes of the importance of planning and preparing vs. stepping outside of your comfort zone.
4. This book reminds me of one of my favorite adult mystery book series: Shady Hollow by Juneau Black. I would imagine the characters and settings of Shady Hollow would look like this if it had illustrations.
5. Book talk by the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyIQdchxKwY ( )

6 - 9 years old
2022 Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award ( )

Careful mouse Cornbread stocked up for winter long ago but his adventurous friend Poppy doesn’t think of it until the first snowfall – and by then, it may be too late!

This is a very sweet read about a pair of friends who are rather opposite to one another in many aspects of their personalities. Some of the language used (e.g., preserves, forage, etc.) and certainly the gentle watercolor illustrations give the feeling of a quaint, vintage read in line with something like Frog and Toad. This slightly more advanced vocabulary, combined with the fact that three chapters make up the book, make this title ideal for those kids advancing out of early readers but not quite ready for longer chapter books yet. ( )

It's a modern day Frog and Toad, I'm calling it now. It's SO adorable. I will want this (and any future offerings) when my daughter is old enough to reading. And in that stage where they are reading and want chapters but not ready for major chapter books.....This book was just everything. And I love Matthew Cordell. So there's that ( )

Cornbread & Poppy is a charming story about two friends who are very different from each other. Cornbread is a planner and Poppy is not. Poppy loves an adventure but once winter rolls around, Poppy realizes that she had failed to gather food for the winter. This sends both Cornbread and Poppy on a hunt for food but everywhere they go, the food is all gone. There is only one place left for them to search. The dangerous Holler Mountain.

This was such a sweet, cozy story. I loved Cornbread and Poppy's friendship and how willing they were to help the other out. They go on a journey that teaches them that there is both a time to plan, and a time to play, and I think that is a really great message to teach kids. I also enjoyed the illustrations. They were soft and beautiful. ( )