Head's up on another excellent new early reader! This newest from Jacqueline Davies is a sweet and spunky story perfect for your newest readers. I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the series soon!
(Also, are hedgehogs a "thing" in children's literature right now, or am I just noticing them because my 7-year-old is obsessed? Either way...I'm enjoying the hedgehogs.)

This chapter book is really cute! Sydney the skunk and Taylor the hedgehog live together in a cozy burrow under Miss Nancy's potting shed. Sydney is content to sit and contemplate life, but Taylor longs for adventure, and decides the pair should travel. Though Sydney is reluctant, he gamely agrees, and starts preparing for an expedition. Taylor, faced with the reality of actually traveling, starts to get nervous, but his friend reassures and encourages him to follow his dream. The two set out, exploring The Whole Wide World (the surrounding area), try hunting for food, meeting new creatures, fend off a ferocious (or, at least, noisy) dog, and find their way back home after having many adventures. Throughout, they support each other, taking turns being brave and not-so-brave, and showing that adventures with a friend can be great fun. The illustrations are sweet and adorable, and fill out the story well. This looks like it will be a fun series!

#SydneyandTaylorExploretheWholeWideWorld #NetGalley

As with most beginner chapter books, the plot of this one is quite simple and follows a pretty predictable arc. This allows the young reader to easily follow the plot and focus more attention on reading skills and building comprehension. While they have big dreams of adventure, their exploration is very limited and constantly beset by complications in the form of natural barriers. While Sydney and Taylor are animals with some human characteristics (they talk, walk on hind legs, carry a backpack, etc) they also retain their animal instincts and often behave in standard animal ways. It's possible to use this book to discuss fantasy and reality in books with a young reader.

“Sydney & Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World” by Jacqueline Davies (from The Lemonade War series) and illustrated by Deborah Hocking is brought to us by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Sydney and Taylor are best friends who live comfortably in a burrow under the ground at Miss Nancy’s farm that was decorated with a map of their world. When they decide, reluctantly, to take a trip to see the “whole wide world” they find it to be much bigger than expected. This is a sweet story of friendship and adventure, and would be a great addition to a library as an early chapter book.

Sydney and Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World is a great fit for those readers making the transition to chapter books. The level is a great transitional level. The book is formatted in short chapters with illustrations to support every page. The illustrations are bright and so engaging. I would highly recommend this book for early chapter readers. It is one that I hope to purchase for my classroom shortly.

Odd couple roommates and friends are a classic literary trope, and Sydney and Taylor fit neatly into that category. Although Taylor enjoys the burrow they share, he also has "Big Ideas" sometimes. His latest idea is that they should leave the burrow and see new things. But Sydney is not sure about the idea and tells Taylor, "Old is better than new... And exciting is...exhausting." Still, friends support each other, so Sydney packs some supplies and Taylor gets the map to plan the path of their adventure.

Being small creatures they don't actually go very far from their home under Miss Nancy's potting shed, but it seems they have traveled the whole wide world by the time they return. They know that there are "mountains taller than a hundred hedgehogs" and "valleys wider than a thousand skunks," but they set out. Along the way there are encounters with frogs, dogs, automobiles, and fast moving streams. Finally they are safely back in their burrow to reminisce about their expedition.
Perfect for fans of Frog and Toad or other buddy stories. This is just the first in a series featuring Sydney and Taylor, so stay tuned for more fun and adventure.

I have fallen in love with Sydney and Taylor! These two little woodland friends are the best. In this first book in a new series the two friends decide to adventure around the whole wide world. A precious story of friendship, adventure and sticking together. I am so excited for this new series and the cute new friends!

So we have best friends Sydney the skunk and Taylor the hedgehog who are perfectly content in their cozy burrow but one day Taylor has a big idea that they should go somewhere. Sydney thinks their burrow is perfect and they don’t need to go anywhere new. Taylor really wanted to see the Whole Wide World and to make his friend happy Sydney agrees to venture out and explore. But as they journey farther and farther away from their familiar territory and home, they don’t know what dangers could await them.

Again just a really cute story with really cute illustrations. Really engaging for young readers with the wonderful illustrations and the funny moments like when Taylor leaves all their food at home and since they are in the wild he needs to hunt their food so he asks a frog how he hunts him and the frog laughs at him.

Thanks to HMH Children’s Book Group and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

Cute story about a Taylor the hedgehog and Sydney the skunk who decide to leave their burrow and explore the wide world. Kids will enjoy the lively illustrations and funny scenes, like when Taylor tries to hunt a frog and when Sydney sprays an unsuspecting dog. There are some mildly scary scenes like when the pair nearly gets run over that also add to the interest. great choice for early elementary kids moving past easy readers.

This story was so cute! I loved the characters. The illustrations are beautifully done. The story is engaging and very accessible for early readers. I cannot wait for further adventures of Sydney and Taylor.

Taylor is a hedgehog who is adventurous. Sydney is a skunk who likes it when life is predictable and comfortable. Taylor always has big ideas. He convinces Sydney to go on an expedition to see what lies beyond their burrow. Sydney is scared, but decides that it is important to support his friend’s dreams. They do find some danger. And when they encounter danger, Taylor rolls up into a ball because that’s what hedgehogs do when they are afraid. But every problem they meet, they face together.

This series is suited for younger elementary students. The writing is whimsical and clever. The illustrations are a perfect fit; warm and friendly. This series will hold up well with other beloved series such as Henry & Mudge, Frog & Toad, Fancy Nancy, etc. I heartily recommend this series and may even purchase it for my nieces and nephews for Christmas.

This was super cute. I liked it and my 2nd grader liked it. I consider that a win! The characters in the book are so cute--I loved the illustrations.