Go BIG or Go Gnome!

K-Gr 2—Al is the only gnome in the garden without a beard. This presents a problem at the biggest event of the gnome year: the Beards International Gnome-athalon, in which all the gnomes compete for longest, bushiest, and overall best beard. Poor Al has never been able to compete, but this year, even though he is still whiskerless, he decides to get creative and make his own beard. Al tries everything, from butterflies to a squirrel tail to moss, but nothing works. When a friend needs an emergency beard trim, Al finds his calling, and the beard competition gets taken to a whole new level. The digital illustrations are mostly in forest and earth tones, and the gnomes are cheery and expressive, with long, bushy beards. Flowers, butterflies, and bumblebees help put the gnomes' diminutive size in perspective.