Zuri Ray loves a good party.When our protagonist, who was introduced in Zuri Ray Tries Ballet (2021), decides to throw a summer bash, her parents suggest reusing the decorations from Zuri's third birthday party, playing '80s music, and making an olive Jell-O mold. Bad ideas! So, with her parents' encouragement, Zuri springs into action to plan her own fête with help from her sister, Remi. Their friends come over and volunteer to get their families to contribute food and decorations. The kids decide on a menu of barbecue and tacos, and they plan the party around a talent show in which the kids will perform. When the day arrives, Lupe dances to Swan Lake, the Patel twins perform magic tricks, Remi and Tessa do a hip-hop number, and Zuri plays guitar and sings. A few mishaps threaten to derail the show, but Zuri and friends recover beautifully, with the help of Zuri's caring parents, and they all prepare for a grand finale guaranteed to please everyone. Sordo's colorful, digitally created illustrations portray a loving, diverse community of friends and family. Biracial Zuri, who has brown skin and an Afro, has a White dad and a Black mom; her friends are diverse; and no two (except the twins) have the same skin tone or hair texture. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A well-told story featuring creative kids who excel at fashioning their own fun. (Picture book. 4-7)

PreS-Gr 2 —Zuri's parents agree to her idea for an end-of-summer party, but when she hears their plans (for '80s music and olive Jell-O) she knows she has to take over. She rallies her sister, Remi, their dog, Sherlock Hound, and a diverse group of friends from school, church, and swim class to plan a perfect party, including food, decorations, and entertainment. The planning and the party itself go well at first, but then catastrophe strikes (squirrel, dog chase). Zuri wants everyone to go home, but her parents' comfort and good advice ("It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be fun" and "Sometimes things don't go as planned") help her recover and carry on. Zuri's mom is dark-skinned with curly black hair, and her dad is white, with blondish-brown hair. Zuri Ray ( Zuri Ray Tries Ballet ) shares an inclusive vibe and problem-solving attitude with Saadia Faruqi's early reader series, "Meet Yasmin." The vibrant, animated illustrations are great fun, especially the perspective of the dog chase, with a dotted line enabling readers to follow the action. VERDICT An excellent story of initiative, planning, and what to do when plans go awry; highly recommended.—Jenny Arch