TAKING CARE OF ME

Build healthy habits with suggestions from your favorite Sesame Street friends.

In a foreword, the editors at Sesame Street Workshop remind readers that “before you can help take care of your family, friends, or neighbors, it’s important to learn how to take care of yourself.” Each ensuing double-page spread features three to five sentences—many voiced by a Muppet friend—that share health tips. Some suggestions are especially timely: “Elmo sings the ABC. Then Elmo knows Elmo has washed [his hands] long enough!” or “Wear a mask when you leave your home. That helps stop germs from spreading.” Other advice, which ranges from wearing sunscreen to eating fruits and veggies, is more general. Along the way, large, colorful pictures of children (a racially diverse cast) and Muppets guide readers by modeling healthy actions. The book doesn’t break any new ground—or even tread old ground in a new and exciting way—but it will be a useful tool for caregivers who need the occasional celebrity endorsement (watching Cookie Monster brush his teeth might boost compliance in a way that adult admonishments can’t) to help reinforce positive behaviors. Rudimentary backmatter is included, but its brevity may undercut the overall usefulness for many.

Basic and serviceable.