BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO:SEVERAL
Hocus and Pocus are "highly magical pets", brother and sister pups who live with their witch, Jinx, in a community of magical friends. Hocus is bold and Pocus is timid, and they help one another find some balance, but also make some magical mischief along the way. When the next-door wizard brings home a new pet dragon, things get exciting and a little scary. Hocus and Pocus work together to help Pocus get over his fears so the pups can interact with the dragon, and of course a little mayhem ensues (attack squirrels!).
This is book #2 in the series, but it stands alone very well. This was a pretty cute story that younger elementary students and early chapter book readers will enjoy. It's a fun, gentle introduction to the fantasy genre. The illustrations are colorful and exciting, and the pups are adorable. There's a strong focus on social and emotional skills, particularly working through anxiety and facing fears. Additionally, the story weaves in some important examples of asking permission, compromising, making friends, and accepting differences.
The cast of magical human characters are diverse in skin tone and gender. There's a character chart on page one that introduces a few main characters with their pronouns, including one character with they/them pronouns. In the story a green-haired character is introduced to the others very smoothly and naturally as "That's Jade, and his pronouns are he and him. He's our next-door wizard." And the story continues without any additional focus on Jade or his pronouns.
Reviewer: Angie Campbell - EL Librarian
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