LITTLE BOOK’S BIG DAY OUT

In Braziel’s children’s book, a young girl must cope with separation anxiety when she starts school.

Addie, depicted as a light-skinned, brown-haired young girl, is about to begin her first day at school. She is less nervous about the new experience itself than about being parted—even temporarily—from her inseparable companion, Little Book, a stubby, plain-covered blue volume with expressive eyes, mouth, cheeks, and eyebrows. Little Book and Addie have always enjoyed a rich, imaginative play world, enjoying activities like tea parties, hide and seek, hopscotch, cooking, swinging on swings, and Halloween dress-up. And, of course, they read together. Addie likes to hold Little Book close and give him big hugs. Though they have to part, Little Book accompanies Addie and her mother on their first school drop-off. Then, disaster strikes: Little Book falls into a donation box, and ends up in the Little Free Library outside Addie’s school. Before Little Book’s plight becomes too upsetting, he is welcomed to the library by Teacher Book, a larger, bespectacled, salmon-colored tome. Teacher Book introduces Little Book to the other young books, and they enjoy a day of class together. Little Book still misses Addie—he remains anxious about her (“his little heart hurt”) and builds a little Addie figure out of blocks. But he has fun, too, and takes the first tentative steps toward friendship with a giggling orange book. At the end of the day, when the school bell rings, the door of the Little Free Library is flung open, and Little Book is grabbed...by Addie. Braziel narrates in straightforward, non-rhyming text, allowing events to unfold without distraction. Though the subject matter has the potential to be distressing, Addie and Little Book’s separation is couched within a safe framework of loving, supporting characters and Tran’s buoyant illustrations. Employing a light color palette to convey caring facial expressions and depict a small but racially diverse background cast, the uncluttered digital images evince a feeling that all will be well. This book will offer particular comfort to those affected by Separation Anxiety Disorder.

A reassuring, sensitively handled first step toward coping with a common emotional hurdle of childhood.