Arthur fans, get ready! Marc Brown has a new group of friends for readers to meet, and they’ll be coming to Max in April.
Hop Helps Out, by Marc Brown, (Feb. 2025, Orchard Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781339035680
Ages 2-6
Hop is a frog who lives in Fair Village with his friends. One day, he and his friend Benny meet a troll named Helga, who’s crying by a bridge. She wants to explore and see the world, but she’s scared. Not to worry: Hop and Benny take Helga by the hand and bring her exploring, introducing her to their friends and enjoying fun things like making ice cream and playing dress-up. Geared toward younger children, the narrative focuses on short, easy-to-read sentences. Marc Brown’s signature style is familiar to any Arthur fan, and the emphasis on friendship and being able to support one another is perfect for a younger age group learning social skills. Brown also creates characters that “are reflective of our communities and friends and inclusive of children who had been underrepresented in the media”, featuring characters with some sort of disability: Hop wears one sneaker that looks like a platform; a depiction of anisomelia (one leg is shorter than the other). Helga is coded as having agoraphobia.
According to Scholastic’s press release, RespectAbility, an advocacy nonprofit organization fighting stigma and advancing opportunity for people with disabilities, was brought on to consult on the series.
Mom Read It 