Ginger can’t wait to invite all the girls from her class to her birthday party — except weird Lyla Browning. Quiet Lyla smells like old leaves and made the unpopular decision to bring a tarantula for Show-and-Tell. But Ginger’s mother says she has to invite everyone. Nothing at the party goes the way Ginger had imagined and it’s spiraling toward disaster, with Ginger in tears, until she and Lyla share an unexpected laugh over a visiting ladybug. And when Ginger opens her presents, among the predictable toys she finds Lyla’s handmade bird’s nest holding two chocolate malted milk eggs. After the others head home, the two girls share the eggs and some imaginary play to launch their friendship. Everything rings true in this honest portrayal of familiar scenarios, from party meltdown to a child who is different from her peers. Pencil, gouache, and digital collage illustrations express the emotions of Ginger’s big day with whimsy and heart. (Ages 4–8)