Wednesday, August 11, 2021

Read, Read, Read, said the Baby: Try-Again Time by Elizabeth Verdick, illustrated by Marieka Heinlen

 Elizabeth Verdick has created many thoughtful titles for toddlers and preschoolers through Free Spirit Press and this is a new series, called "Toddler Tools." It walks toddlers and families through social-emotional learning as well as daily routines, from cleaning up and eating meals, to resilience and mindfulness.

This title focuses on resilience, or trying again. A diverse selection of toddlers are shown trying and failing to kick a ball, put things together, paint a picture, or do other simple tasks. When they fail, their feelings are acknowledged and they are advised to take a break, breathe deeply, and "Remember three super words...'I'll try again.'"

With the help of family and friends, and after several tries, they are shown successfully kicking a ball, painting a picture, or climbing onto a play structure. There is a mix of background patterns and colors, even outdoors, which could be confusing for younger children whose eyes are still developing. The pictures are not too detailed, but include blocky, simple lines and bright colors. The backgrounds do make them look very busy though.

The last spread includes "Try-again tips for parents & caregivers" which include acknowledgement of the challenges of the toddler years and include five suggestions for helping kids develop the skills to keep trying, including "Celebrate the process" and "Increase independence."

Verdict: Whether these will be useful for your library depends a lot on your audience. Do you have a large population of young children? Do parents and caregivers see the library as a source for resources and advice for these early years? Do you serve caregivers and teachers looking for resources? Does your school district have a focus on social-emotional learning? If so, these may be extremely useful. If your families prefer to use your board book section primarily for literacy and entertainment, they are less likely to be interested in these, or you may wish to somehow separate them so they can be found easily. They are also more expensive than the average board book.

ISBN: 9781631986055; Published April 2021 by Free Spirit; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

No comments: