A child with brown skin, flyaway dark hair, jean shorts and yellow sweater, is always hurrying. Hurrying in the morning, hurrying to school, "Hurry here. Hurry there. Hurry, scurry everywhere!" When they get home, they have to hurry through their homework, hurry to take their dog out for a walk, and finally, there is a full-spread page with a giant STOP emblazoned on it, just as they reach the hill.
Out in the meadow, with just their dog for company, the child can finally "Slow things down." There is nature to be observed, games to play, and quiet rituals. The child's afternoon in the open ends with counting stars and a quiet walk home in the dark, then peacefully to sleep.
The story ends with "Dreams and lazy days ahead." implying that it's summer vacation perhaps, but there's a hope that this is the child's stand against the hectic life they are leading, demanding time to stop, take a step back, reflect and just be. Neal's art captures the freedom and refreshment of the child's hours in nature and their solo expeditions exploring around them, freed from the hurried race of their daily life. One note of interest - the child's gender is never mentioned and the reviews I read followed that choice, but the publisher's description defaults to, naturally, a boy. Interesting. Their classroom is shown as diverse, with children, sometimes literally it seems, flying across the room in their rush.
Verdict: I don't see this one being a particular hit in storytime, or as a classroom read-aloud. It's more something that caregivers might savor with a child before bed, or perhaps read and appreciate for themselves. I will add this to the mindfulness books I've been purchasing at the request of teachers recently.
ISBN: 9781534424975; Published May 2020 by Simon and Schuster; F&G provided by publisher
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