JACKSON’S BLANKET

There’s nothing not to like in this sweet tale of a boy who needs to give up his beloved blanket. As Cote’s age-appropriate rhymes explain, “ ‘A blanket's for a baby,’ / his daddy tells him so. / ‘It’s time to be a big boy— / this old blanket needs to go.’ ” But Jackson wholeheartedly disagrees. He takes it to his grandma’s house, to the doctor’s, even to the beach. He never wants it washed and uses it to protect him on stormy nights. Then one snowy winter day, Jackson discovers a kitten outside his house. He brings her in and makes a bed for her out of his blanket. His parents let him keep the kitten, and Jackson decides that since she’s only a baby, she needs the blanket more than he does. Cote’s functional illustrations, in watercolor-pencil and gouache, are pleasant, but the real meat is in the text. With a non-preachy and empowering ending, this story will certainly ring true to those ready (or not quite) to give up their loveys. (Picture book. 4-6)