Grow grateful

Kiko's class is going on a camping trip. She's nervous about hiking Cactus Ridge because she's scared of heights, but it turns into a fun experience. Roasting marshmallows that night, the class lists what they are grateful for, from circling hawks to the colorful sunset to the warm campfire. This book was clearly created to assist with a specific stage of social-emotional learning, which is a worthy pursuit. Although the story line is quite thin, it holds some value as an introductory text for beginning campers and any jitters that may accompany this activity. While the gratitude elements within the text are incorporated so factually that they border on dry, an appended reader's note includes welcome guidance on using the book as a starting point to facilitate the development of gratitude through prompted questions, creating gratitude collages, volunteering, or delivering letters of gratitude. Furthermore, the illustrations include wonderfully deliberate diversity both among the family unit and Kiko's classmates and the cut-paper collage portion of the mixed-media artwork incorporates some terrific textures.--Becca Worthington Copyright 2019 Booklist

A little girl learns that being grateful is key to being "a happy camper."The opening text shifts awkwardly from present to past tense as the narrator, Kiko, shares that she's excited and nervous about an upcoming overnight school camping trip. The book's focus is on Kiko's shifting feelings about the trip, which she ends up enjoying, in large part because she takes the time to feel grateful for small moments while she also absorbs others' gratitude and thereby feels appreciated. Unfortunately, while Lyles' illustrations are warm and inviting, the text is far from accessible and engaging. A character named Jasmine is introduced by name on an early spread, but it's uncertain who she is, as Kiko's parents tell their daughter that "this trip is for you, Jasmine, and all your classmates and Ms. Cooper." Is Jasmine a classmate? This isn't clarified until her third mention several spreads later. Later, a massive text block set against a cloud of steam rising from a cooking pot at the campsite defines what grateful means. This didactic, wordy moment seems downright concise compared to the three-page "reader's note" at the book's end. Kiko's name and physical appearance suggest that she's of Asian descent, but her parents are white-appearing.Thanks, but no thanks. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.