The launch of a full-color chapter book series featuring best friends Kondo and Kezumi who find a map that leads to the wonders of the unknown, for fans of Ivy & Bean and Mercy Watson.

Kondo is big. Kezumi is little. They lived on an island with fruit trees and berry bushes and flitter-birds and fluffle-bunnies. When a surprise bottle washes ashore, they discover a map with a mysterious message: WE ARE NOT ALONE. Kezumi wants to follow the map and explore the world. Kondo wants to stay home and pick fruit from the fruit tree and berries from the berry bushes. But once Kezumi builds the perfect boat, the best friends set sail together to see . . . well, they don’t know!

So begin the adventures of Kondo and Kezumi, where islands of cheese and giant mountains await. Rising stars David Goodner and Andrea Tsurumi team up for this illustrated chapter book series filled with charming quirks and unexpected discoveries. Get ready to set foot on uncharted territory with classic themes of friendship, community, and exploration.

Kondo and Kezumi brave new waters and adventures in the second book of the full-color chapter book series for fans of Mercy Watson and Ivy & Bean.

Kezumi is ready for more adventure. Kondo is ready to go home. Now that Kondo and Kezumi have figured out that the map can lead to incredible places and new friends like Albert, Kezumi is eager to keep exploring and embracing the unknown. Kondo on the other hand, is tired and misses the comforts of home. When they reach Bell Bottom tempers are high, a thick fog begins to cloud over the boat making it hard to see, and they find themselves stranded.

It will take working together and listening to each other in order to find common ground and brave these new waters.

The third book in the Kondo & Kezumi series where best friends Kondo and Kezumi head home only to realize there is an unexpected guest, for fans of Ivy & Bean and Mercy Watson — in paperback.

Kondo is big. Kezumi is little. They used to live on an island with fruit trees and berry bushes and flitter-birds and fluffle-bunnies. Since the surprise bottle washed ashore with a map containing the mysterious message: WE ARE NOT ALONE, Kondo and Kezumi have been traveling the seas, making new friends, and discovering more about themselves and their place in the world.

But now it’s time for Kondo and Kezumi to head home. Except there’s still time to see Tiny Island, make a pit stop at Dairy Isle, or even Donut island. And when Kondo and Kezumi arrive on their familiar shore, they are greeted with another boat anchored in their waters. Who could it be? Will Kondo and Kezumi be ready for a new guest on their island or is home finally changed for good?

David Goodner and Andrea Tsurumi team up for this illustrated chapter book series filled with charming quirks and unexpected discoveries. Packed with vibrant full-color art and paired with poignant text, this chapter book is ideal for emerging readers searching for adventure, friendship, and fun.

David Goodner has worked at the Arlington Public Library for the last twenty-one years and counting. He is the author of Ginny Goblin Is Not Allowed To Open This Box, and its follow-up, Ginny Goblin Is Not Allowed To Have A Monster For A Pet. He lives in North Texas with his wife and two uncommonly pleasant cats.

Andrea Tsurumi is the author and illustrator of Accident! and Crab Cake, as well as numerous comics. She illustrated Not Your Nest by Gideon Sterer and Girls Who Code by Reshma Saujani. She was born and raised in New York, where she got an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, and she now lives in Philadelphia with her spouse and their dog. When she’s not inventing croissant-based animals, she likes reading about ordinary and ridiculous history.