In this follow-up to The Invisible String, heavy-hearted Zack can-t stop thinking about his dog, Jojo, who has just died. His parents try to offer comfort but only frustrate Zack, who struggles to process his feelings. When he confides his sorrow in his friend Emily, she blithely relays -the very best news ever-: -When our pets aren-t here anymore, an Invisible Leash connects our hearts to each other. Forever.- Irritated, Zack retorts, -I only believe in things I see.- After a day of Emily-s evangelizing, Zack feels Jojo-s presence under the gaze of a full moon. Karst-s gentle narrative guides the friends through their shared experience, and Lew-Vriethoff-s digitally rendered, loose-feeling illustrations expertly depict the wide range of emotions therein. An opaque Jojo is depicted in each spread, a constant participant. An empathy-driven resource for children reckoning with the loss of a pet. Ages 4-8. (Dec.)

K-Gr 2 This companion to the best-selling The Invisible String addresses coping with a death of a pet. Zack, an elementary school kid, deeply mourns the loss of his dog Jojo, whose ghostly form is pictured on nearly every page. Though his parents and his friend Emily try to cheer him up, Zack is angry and inconsolable. When Emily finds out why Zack is sad, she tells him that she grieved her cat Rexie but felt better when she learned there are invisible leashes connecting the departed pets' hearts "in the beyond" to their owners. Rexie also appears as a ghostly feline, connected to Emily with a red leash. Dubious, Zack questions Emily as to how her cat could have a leash, but she expounds at great length that all pets, not just dogs, have invisible leashes and that seeing is not believing. Ultimately convinced, Zack goes to sleep happy, feeling connected to his departed dog. Lew-Vriethoff's cartoon illustrations lighten the dark mood with bright colors while still conveying the heartfelt emotions of the protagonist. Unfortunately, their impact is lessened by the verbose text that tends to overexplain otherwise well-intentioned ideas. VERDICT This title will likely appeal to the pet-owning fans of The Invisible String and will find a place in collections in need of pet loss books. Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University