Review by Booklist Review
Milgrim's colorful and congratulatory title revels in the idea that play is a form of education. The book's protagonist is a cheerful Everychild whose curiosity, determination, and love of doughnuts (the pastry is prevalent throughout) has grown with him from babyhood to big-kid elementary student. As a celebration of free time, this book is full of action wandering, wondering, prodding, questioning, listening, expressing that adds up to learning. Significantly, not a single television or computer appears, not even in the background. This is a story about homegrown amusements and the rewards they reap. Milgrim's bright, minimal, cartoon-style drawings match the book's messages about simple joys, and the speech bubbles provide comic balance to the more pedestrian rhyming text: the mother handing her child a plateful of octopus and telling him, It tastes like chicken! will raise a smile with both reader and listener, for example. Completely free of schedules and micromanagement, this is a book that celebrates kids being kids.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Milgrim's (Best Baby Ever) breezy yet tender celebration of childhood achievements opens with a nod to its gift-book potential: a diploma proclaims, "You've made us all proud/ By who you've become,/ And we'd like to review/ How you did what you've done." The focus on the hows rather than the whats of accomplishments broadens the book's relevance. While the lilting verse supplies general observations ("You wandered and wondered./ You loved to explore./ For every answer you got,/ you had three questions more"), buoyant, digital cartoons-supplemented by lighthearted speech balloons-furnish examples. Accompanying a shoutout for trying new things is a picture of the cheerful boy being served a squidlike creature as his mother insists, "It tastes like chicken!" In an endearing scenario, he goes fishing with his grandfather ("You had many teachers./ You learned from them well"), and when things aren't going so well, he takes out his aggressions on an inflatable toy. Amusing recurring graphics include frosted doughnuts-a favorite of the family dog-and a colander that serves as a helmet. It's an uplifting look at the dividends childhood curiosity can pay. Ages 1-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1 Up-This picture book's spirit is similar to that of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! (Random, 1990), but it celebrates growing up by looking back. "You've made us all proud/By who you've become./And we'd like to review/How you did what you've done." Readers are taken on a tour of the steps children take as they learn about themselves and the world around them by tasting, touching, falling down, and getting up. Comical cartoon illustrations bring humor to the enthusiastic text: "You knew how to listen when anyone spoke" shows a child engaged with a classroom speaker while everyone else, including the teacher, has fallen asleep. No one will see themselves in all of the pages, but some will ring true for everyone. An additional title that will be most successful as a gift book for kids passing important life milestones.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Upbeat cartoon illustrations feature a boy as he grows from infancy to childhood absorbing experiences, learning from others, enjoying freedom to make his own mistakes, and expanding his world. The lighthearted rhyming text is short and addressed directly to the boy, but it speaks to all children. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
David Milgrim's rhyming take on the journey of growing up and acquiring knowledge begins with a baby chewing on a book and exploring what happens when his breakfast is tossed on the floor. The same baby, now a preschooler, plays with the pots and pans and asks questions like "why is it called a pair of underwear if there's only one?" Then the little guy becomes an older child who likes to look through telescopes and attempts to fly. Many of these images are essentially universal, but they all have funny and unique elements, like the above question about underwear or a funky invention involving watermelons and a skateboard. The simple, cartoonish illustrations also capture a familiar, humorous vibe. What isn't universal, however, is that this child seems to have a larger-than-average appetite for knowledge. He's shown making some complex inventions, playing several instruments and reading books on science and art history. This seems to be aimed at children who have actually earned the "smart" title. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
