Jamie and Angus Together (review)

As fans of The Jamie and Angus Stories (BCCB 10/02) will recall, Jamie is a little boy and Angus is his constant companion, a toy Highland bull. Six chapters document adventures such as Jamie's fending off of a little girl who plays far too roughly with Angus and his development of his own drawing style (he has a nice line in "angry eggs with beetling brows and fine mustaches"), as well as his eventual struggle with the possibility that he's outgrowing Angus. This has the same welcoming coziness as the previous title; though the stories are a little more scattered in topic, audiences will still understand Jamie's reliance on his quiet friend, and they'll be particularly pleased with the final story's message that such loyal comrades need not be left behind. This would make a nice snuggly readaloud for bedtime or a rainy day diversion, and audiences will enjoy the softly realistic illustrations, appearing in generous helpings of spot art as well as full-page vignettes, that have the same sturdy pettability as Angus himself.