Review_CHILDREN’S
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Unstoppable Me
Susan Verde, illus. by Andrew Joyner. Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
$17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-374-30738-7
A child who can’t keep still bursts from their sleepy parents’
bedroom, an embodiment of the spread’s declaration: “I am
movement.” “Fueled by food” and “powered by PLAY!/
friendship/ compliments/ love and laughter,” the kid moves
through a day with a “turbo boost” of joyful energy, slowing
for only a brief moment “to recharge” before heading back to
fun. Every activity is an opportunity for imaginative play,
from time with other children (the group plays in a cardboard
engine) to bedtime (“I’m a supersonic dreamer!”). In keeping
with the book’s theme, the simple narrative moves quickly,
largely comprising single words. Joyner’s energetic cartoon
artwork conveys the spirit of Verde’s words, showing the
“perpetual motion” of very young children. Parents of tireless
youth will find solidarity and humor here, and young readers
will close this book feeling invigorated by the possibilities
before them. Ages 2–6. (July)Where Did You Go Today?
Jenny Duke. Child’s Play, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-78628-201-9
An ordinary afternoon at the playground becomes something
more via the mind’s eye. “Guess what?” Duke begins, as a
child recounts a day’s explorations while walking hand-in-
hand with an adult. From a swing set, the child flies over the
trees toward the moon, and a slide’s steep dive becomes a
snowy mountaintop descent alongside skiers and snowboarders.
As the youth, wearing pigtails and layers of purple and green,
moves through the inclusive playground, page turns transform
the landscape from ordinary to imaginative: a merry-go-
round near a pond becomes a ship at sea; a camel-shaped
rocker becomes a desert adventure. Duke’s sparse poetic
narrative allows the reader to linger on her textured, surreal
illustrations, which evoke the pulse of adventure and sensory
exploration (“I crawled ashore.../ through the dark and cold”)
all the way home. A quiet celebration of the limitless world
within. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)★ Here and Now
Julia Denos, illus. by E.B. Goodale. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
$17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-328-46564-1
Meditation meets noticing in this contemplative picture
book. “Right here,/ right now,/ you are reading this book,”
Denos begins. “The book is in your lap,/ or in your hands,/
or in someone else’s.” The attendant illustration shows a
recursive image of a person holding a book, placing the
reader at once in the moment and in a telescopic frame.
Plainspoken text ripples throughout, prompting the reader to
consider what lies “under your bum, under your feet” andwhat is occurring elsewhere (“Rain is
forming in the belly of a cloud”; “A
friend you haven’t met yet is sitting
down to dinner”). And Goodale’s
comfortable mixed-media illustra-
tions, both self-referential and com-
munally inclusive, extend the idea
that many occurrences make up a moment in the world. A
postscript includes an author’s note about meditation: “just
another way of noticing, and noticing is a little bit like magic.”
A well-considered work about taking in the present moment.
Ages 4–7. (Sept.)Nothing Wee About Me! A Magical Adventure
Kim Chaffee, illus. by Laura Bobbiesi. Page Street Kids, $17.99
(32p) ISBN 978-1-62414-692-3
It’s almost time for Sunday soup at Grandma Rose’s house,
and Liesel, sporting a shirt in the same colors as her grand-
mother’s, is determined to fit in an adventure before supper.
Balancing the magic ladle upward, she closes her eyes, makes
a wish, and is transported to the depths of ocean in a submarine.
Peering through her “ladle-scope,” she sees a volcanic island
in imminent danger, and, speeding to the rescue, encounters
two villainous obstacles: a lion pirate captain in suspenders
and a many-scaled dragon, each of whom mistakes her for a
“wee girl.” The fearless child challenges them (“There’s
nothing wee about me!”)—wielding her “ladle-hook” at the
pirate and a pointy “ladle-sword” at the beast—and both
cower at her fierceness of spirit. Together, Chaffee’s lively
tale and Bobbiesi’s scratchy watercolor-and-ink illustrations
offer a welcome reminder that courage can come in surprising
packages. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)The Wonder That Is You
Glenys Nellist, illus. by Aurelie Blanz. Zonderkidz, $17.99 (32p)
ISBN 978-0-310-76669-8
Parents welcome much-awaited newborns in this hushed
celebration of new life and new bonds. Nellist’s rhyme flows
through the book, commenting on the feel of new parenthood
amid the natural world: “It felt as if the world stood still/ The
day my dream came true,/ And all creation paused to see/ The
wonder that is you.” Nature’s witnesses to the new child
include stars, the sun, birds, and even the oceans (a smiling
whale rests just beneath the water’s surface as a woman
extends her hands to the skies). Blanz’s painterly illustrations,
rendered in ambrosial colors and rich, textured brush-strokes,
portray babies of various skin tones dreamily resting amid lily
pads, fields, and skies alongside parents in gowns and with
flowing locks. Admirers of Nancy Tillman will find a similar
voice and feeling in this volume. Ages 4–8. (July)The World and Me, the World and You
Five poignant picture books explore one’s place in the world.