LITTLE BOY

A gentle look at the minutiae that make up life’s learning moments and the importance they hold as building blocks for the future. “Little boy, so much depends on . . . your starship pajamas, / that story about llamas, / the way you don’t worry, / the way you won’t hurry, and . . . / your big cardboard box.” Helping with the cooking, taking care of the family dog, saying goodbye to grandparents, jumping puddles, inspecting bugs, making a goal and lots of imaginative play also appear as elements that make up this small boy’s life. Throughout, Reynolds’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations wonderfully portray the delightful mix of mischievousness, joy, pride and imagination that make up little boys. While a cozy lap reading between parent and child is sure to elicit similar lists of things that “so much depends on” in their own lives, the text will be most appreciated by sentimental parents. This is a beautiful reminder to all that these days will pass all too quickly and must be savored—the perfect gift for harried new parents. (Picture book. 3-6)