Cleverly formatted and entertaining story about three friends at a playground. Perfect for early elementary readers who enjoy funny books.

The illustrations are simple but highly effective. This one is fun and silly and a good introduction to graphic novels for young readers.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Super cute, easy-to-read graphic novel type book for young kids.

This intermediate graphic novel is perfect for all your Narwhal and Jelly and Blue, Barry, and Pancakes fans. Tuna the Narwhal, Margo the Bird, and Noodle the Snake have a playdate at the park, where they meet a hostile robot and a bear named Ralph, who quickly joins their playgroup. The story unfolds in four chapters that takes readers - and the group of friends - to each area of the playground: The Slide, The Swings, The Monkey Bars, and The SeeSaw, and the action is both hilarious and written with an eye to being a good playground friend. There's playful language, like "fizzled their neenee bopper" or "zizzled my zipzoo" for playground injuries, and laugh-out-loud moments when the group tries to figure out ways to "help" one another, like scaring Ralph off the slide to get him to go down, or tying Noodle onto the swing to help them stay on. Cartoon artwork and colorful panels will make this a big favorite with you intermediate and emerging readers.

Young readers will be delighted to have access to such a humorous and fun graphic novel The idea of 3 friends heading off to the playground to play on the equipment will definitely resonate with younger elementary school students who can't wait for recess and do exactly that. The main characters with the names of Tuna, Noodle and Margo are sure to elicit laughter and grins. When they encounter big, scary Bear at the top of the Slide, they are fearful. The idea that Bear is actually frightened at the top of the slide will assuage readers' own fears.
The story is purposeful and fun, a winning combination. The illustrations are vivid and enticing. Those who love Narwhal are sure to love this. A surefire hit!

This is a great beginning chapter graphic novel. It’s at the right spot for those kids coming off easy readers but not ready for real chapter books just yet. It is very similar to Narwhal and Jelly, and kids who like those, will like this.

We Have a Playdate was fun day at the park with friends. It is a Gender Neutral book, using they/theirs pronouns. Overall it is a cute book, the illustrations are simple yet eye catching. They storyline is entertaining and holds the readers attention. The pronoun usage did take a bit of an adjustment, as I have not personally read many books with that. I think this would be a good gift for any young reader who is into graphic novels, or transitioning from picture books to chapter books. #WeHaveAPlaydate #NetGalley

This book is a zany but cute graphic novel about old friends playing on a playground and making new friends at the playground! Three friends have a playdate at their local, favorite playground. But when they arrive they find bear, stuck at the top of the slide. At first they think bear is angry but the truth is - bear is scared to slide down. Fortunately bear overcomes their fearfulness with the help of their new friends and they all spend the day exploring and having fun in both normal and unconventional ways. A good choice for kids that like Ben Clanton's Narwhal and Jelly books or Mika Song's Norma and Belly series.
Thanks to Abrams for the digital ARC!

I received an electronic ARC from ABRAMS Kids through NetGalley.
Younger readers will appreciate the fun and adventures this group of animal friends enjoys. They play at the playground and have some misadventures too. Readers will laugh at the antics and cheer for the friendship. The simple to read text and delightfully simple illustrations allow lower elementary readers to read this to themselves and gain confidence in reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS for access to this ARC of "We Have a Playdate." This wacky and laugh-out-loud read was a big hit with my children (ages 5 and 9). Bright illustrations and clever wordplay had them giggling the whole way through! Hoping to see more from this author/series!

We Have a Playdate has some situational humor and will appeal to young audiences. The use of the nongender pronoun "they" instead of his/her might confuse younger readers leading them to think multiple characters are doing something instead of just one.

NARWHAL & JELLY + ELEPHANT & PIGGIE meets Jan Thomas' crew but with more rainbow colors

A charming crew of friends solves problems with humor and empathy. The episodes are a great set up for a discussion of emotions. In the first chapter, the other characters try to figure out if bear is angry, sad or scared. It's so important for children to have a dictionary of emotions, to be able to distinguish the difference between similar emotions.

The illustrations are colorful, clean and fun. Overall, WE HAVE A PLAYDATE is playful, charming and thoughtful. Highly recommended.

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READING LEVEL
interest level: 3-8
reading level: 5-7.

The reading level is similar to Jan Thomas'. There are 20ish page episodes which make the children feel so proud to be reading a "chapter book." Each page has 1-20ish words, which is undaunting for beginning readers. There are some compound words though, which is a great opportunity for early readers to conquer harder words--but in small doses. My 6 yo beginning reader read an episode with confidence.

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I will post a review + photo to Instagram closer to publication.

Another great graphic novel that will be perfect for early readers. I loved this group of characters and how the author approached the pronoun of they instead of identifying each character with he or she. The humor was spot-on for early readers and I know they will get a kick out of this first book in a new series.

What a fun, easy graphic novel! The text is simple, which is great for beginning readers. The art is simple and fun. The stories are funny and cute. We get to see friendships developing, problem-solving, and fun happening. Great for beginning readers who are fans of the Narwhal and Jellyfish series.

This cute little comic for kids follows the cacophony of fun an unlikely ‘troop’ of critters has on a playground playdate! Can Tuna, Margo, and Noodle help Bear face his fears and slide down the high-up slide? I hope so - there’s a lot of other fun stuff to play on together if they help him get the courage. It’s all about playing and having fun together - and being silly, too! Oh yeah, and making new friends, working together, and what to do when you get sad or angry with those new friends of yours, too. The hilariously expressive drawings totally made me laugh-out-loud! And, even better, it’s inclusive because everyone is gender-neutral. You’ll have fun reading this one!

A fun book for lower elementary age students - a little too long for my preschool students but I could pick a few pages out for teachable moments about friendship. I think this would be a popular choice for 6-8 year olds .

This was a simple and lovely book that targets friendship skills, conversation skills and problem solving skills. My students will love this book!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My 6- and 8-year-old boys loved reading We Have a Playdate. The simple, no-frills illustrations and silly dialogue were a hit! They love the sweet, fun, entertaining antics of Pizza & Taco, Narwhal & Jelly, the InvestiGators, and similar graphic novels for emerging-readers. We Have a Playdate checks all those boxes and fits right in!

My older child, who is motivated by Captain-Underpants-esque humor, appreciated the zany, nonsensical descriptions of playground injuries ("They dinked their fazbot!") and the ridiculous-sounding insults ("You slimy cheese-grater!"). Those kept him laughing the whole way through.

My younger child, who is a bit more sensitive and empathetic, was mildly intimidated by Ralph, a bear who yells at a mean robot and plays a little too rough, causing accidental injuries. He thought Ralph's face was scary at times, and he didn't like it when other characters got hurt or upset. But he was grateful for a happy ending, with positive resolutions to all of the mini-conflicts!

I did not know this going in, but the author's note includes a tribute to his own transgender child, and informs readers of the decision to use only gender-neutral pronouns throughout the book, as a form of accessibility and representation for the trans community. This did prompt questions from my very perceptive, intellectual, type-A, always-looking-for-typos child, who has learned in school that "they" is plural, not singular - "That looks like a mistake. There is clearly only one animal there." Parents, be prepared for a teachable moment with this book!

A fun early chapter book for beginning readers. Almost a choose your own adventure style but with a linear story either way you choose. There’s friendship and problem solving and kids are gonna like that it’s a bit silly too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This is a great beginner graphic novel about a group of friends on the playground. They have fun together, they solve problems together, and they laugh together. I read this with my 7 year old and she loved it. For me, the best part was the inclusive language - they, their as pronouns. It was beautiful.