Ollie and Augustus by Gabriel Evans

Walker, 2019. ISBN: 9781760650711. 32pp., hbk.
Even though Ollie is small (like a pickling jar or a shoebox) and Augustus is big (like a table or a fridge), they do everything together, including cycling, painting, dressing up, digging (Ollie's favourite thing) and stick collecting (Augustus's favourite thing), as best friends do. But soon it will be time for Ollie to start school and he is worried that Augustus will be lonely without him. So he sets out to find him a friend. But none of the dogs that apply for the position are quite right and so Ollie has to start school and leave Augustus on his own. All day he worries that Augustus will be lonely and bored, but is he?
"Big school" is on the horizon for many of our littlest readers, with all the anxieties that that prospect brings. There will be many Ollies among them who will worry that their treasured pets will be lonely, and not being toys, they have to be left at home. So this is a timely story for them to reassure them that all will be fine and at least one concern can be alleviated. Perfect for sharing with preschoolers about to take the next big step in their growing-up adventure.
Barbara Braxton