Cornbread and Poppy for the Win, written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2024. $9.99 ages 5 and up

 

""Here's what we need to do. We start out fast 
but not too fast. And we keep the same 
fast-but-not-too-fast pace for most of the race. 
All the way to the final lap. Then we give it 
everything! We really have to punch it, 
Cornbread!""

Cornbread is a keen cyclist, always checking his time to compare it to the last one. He and his best friend Poppy have been training for months before competing in this weekend's SRCCCC (Small Rodents Competitive Championship Classic) race. On this last day of training before the big race, Cornbread arrives at Poppy's house to a big surprise. Poppy is wearing new pants - very tight, but classy. She even has a pair for Cornbread, who is red-faced to be seen in them. 

In the days leading up to the race, Poppy has become more and more obsessed with winning. The pants are part of her master plan. She is determined the two will beat Gerald, for the first time. Gerald is an unpleasant winner, and really riles Poppy up with his constant boasting. She is determined they will win - and the pants are meant to provide an advantage. 

Race day dawns with Poppy revealing her Master Plan. She carries a small paper that proposes their path to victory. Off they pedal to the starting line with a chance to see the Winner's Cup itself before the race begins. Numerous competitors wait patiently for the starter to give the signal. Once the race begins, the two stick to Poppy's plan. 

"A rat, a guinea pig, and a squirrel 
had a multi-bike pile-up on the next
turn. 

Cornbread and Poppy stuck to the 
Master Plan. And they moved even
closer to the front of the race." 

Gerald has no plan to let them win. They are racing neck and neck, until Cornbread's new tight pants can no longer take the strain of riding - they split and get caught in his bike's spokes. What a catastrophe! Riders pile up; Poppy rides on. She's almost to the finish line for the win when she realizes that Cornbread looks pretty bad. What will she do? 

This fourth book in the series is as appealing as the rest od them. Each shows early readers the value that friendship affords even when those friends don't love the same things. It is important that Cornbread and Poppy are their own 'person' while also being very, very good friends.