FICTION

Little Things Aren't Little… When You're Little

illus. by Alison Davis Lyne. 32p. Pelican. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781455617913; ebk. $16.99. ISBN 9781455617920. LC 2012040016.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—Told from a child's perspective, this picture book covers everything from shots, to tests, to chores. "And/When the doctor tells me,/'It won't hurt,/It's just a shot'…/It makes me wonder/if she plain forgot./Let's refresh her memory…/Little things aren't little when you're little." The average-quality, full-color illustrations support the rhyming text, but both are a little forced at times. The text is addressed to adults and is clearly trying to convey a parenting message. While the lesson is a good one, the book will miss the mark with youngsters.—Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI
"It's just a little shot." "It's just a little farther down the street." Have "a little bite." Yeah, right, thinks each of the kids who experiences the anxiety-making scenarios presented in this book, which is a plea to adults to use perspective when talking to children. The worthy message is undercut by bumpy rhymes, poorly laid-out text, and awkward-looking illustrations.

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