HOLDIN POTT

A lonely little kitchen pot doesn’t know what to do with his lid-rattling emotions in Ghosh Ippen’s picture book.

Little Pott, a small cooking pan, wants to be like his father, Holdin Pott, a stoic pressure cooker, who says, “Sadness, anger, I keep ’em inside / along with tears I never cried. / At times I fear I’ll overflow, / but that’s my way, it’s what I know.” Little Pott tries hard to contain his own sorrow and rage when he’s bullied by other pots and pans, but the heat of his emotions reaches the boiling point, and the explosive result leaves him frightened and confused. What will Holdin Pott do? Ghosh Ippen, a child psychologist specializing in childhood trauma, has created multiple gentle and thoughtful picture books informed by her clinical work and practice, including Once I Was Very Very Scared (2018) and You Weren’t With Me (2019). Readers should know that her messages are for parents, too: Here, Holdin Pott looks beyond Little Pott’s messy outburst, recognizing the need for his son to learn how to safely express his feelings and that he’s loved. Illustrator Ippen’s lively pots and pans, in stove and countertop settings, are an offbeat, expressive delight; each full-page, border-to-border image is well integrated with clear, rhyming text.

A simple story with visual appeal and a well-crafted message.