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EVERY BODY MOVE!

Name: EVERY BODY MOVE!
Author: Jenna Elyse Johnson
ISBN: 9798888596593

From the Barefoot Singalongs series

by Jenna Elyse Johnson ; illustrated by Ananya Rao-Middleton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 2025

Welcoming, joyful, and truly inclusive.

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A celebration of the ways we dance, explore, and thrive.

Centering both movement and disability, this picture book feels like it’s in constant motion. Each turn of the page reveals a different type of mobility tool, from canes of all sorts (“chunky canes, skinny canes, / swinging-back-and-forth canes, / TIPPIN’, TAPPIN’, TWIRLIN’ canes”) to walkers and wheelchairs. Bucking stereotypes, the book depicts disabled youngsters as active, busy, and exuberant. Johnson’s text is packed with related action verbs (cruisin’, flyin’, vroomin’, whizzin’), with scenes to match. The refrain “What helps your mobility? / How do you GROOVE? Full of possibility! / Every body move!” is a resounding cheer. Though many children’s books offer tokenizing depictions of disability, Rao-Middleton has taken great care with her portrayals; the images of wheelchairs and canes in particular showcase several distinct versions that are also named in the text. The backgrounds are colorful and simply drawn; characters range in skin tone, though there’s little variability in their facial expressions. The final page provides a glossary of mobility aids with child-friendly explanations of each. This book serves as a much-needed window and mirror for children. A QR code links to an animated video accompanied by a song version of the text, performed by jazz vocalist Audra Mariel.

Welcoming, joyful, and truly inclusive. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025

ISBN: 9798888596593

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Barefoot Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING

by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...

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Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.

First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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BYE BYE, BUTTERFLY
developed by Ashley Spires ; adapted by Naseem Hrab ; illustrated by Mike Shiell

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NO MOUSIE LEFT BEHIND
developed by Ashley Spires ; adapted by Naseem Hrab ; illustrated by Mike Shiell

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THE MOST MAGNIFICENT MAKER'S A TO Z
by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)