BLANKET

A seriously swaddled child invites readers to explore the transformative power of a blanket.

Wrapped up in a tweedy blanket, a wide-eyed child with beige skin and a shock of pale blond hair greets readers with a surprised “hello” and adds, “I was too busy being warm and cozy inside my FUZZIEST blanket” to notice anyone. Describing the blanket wrapping as a “blanket cocoon,” the child explains how cocoons provide protective coverings for certain insects, giving them a “safe place to become their grown-up selves in.” The child urges readers to quietly observe a caterpillar spin its cocoon, disappear inside, and eventually emerge an amazing butterfly. Wondering if readers would “like to be inside a blanket cocoon just like me,” the child deftly demonstrates how to roll up inside a favorite blanket. Once inside a blanket cocoon, readers can snuggle, wiggle, feel safe and warm, and close their eyes to imagine traveling through space, running in a rainforest, hunkering inside an igloo, or swimming beneath the ocean waves. Leaving the security of a blanket cocoon might seem scary, but it’s exciting because “we could BE ANYTHING!” The bold, chunky, hand-lettered text reinforces the immediacy of the child narrator’s lively conversation with readers. Dynamic illustrations rely on simple shapes, expressive close-ups, and hilarious shots of the ebullient child, cleverly turning the blanket cocoon into a metaphor for the process of growing up.

An engaging, energetic, amusing, and affirming must for blanket lovers.