Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this addition to the What If Everybody? series, Javernick encourages readers to rethink preconceptions. Madden's upbeat artwork features an inclusive cast of characters seen making false and unfair assumptions about others. In one spread, girls in a school restroom leer at a person experiencing hair loss; one peer thinks, "She's probably too embarrassed to go anywhere." In each circumstance, Javernick repeats the title missive: "What if EVERYBODY thought that?" shown alongside a variety of toxic assumptions. A page turn later, the individual is shown succeeding alongside text reading "They might be wrong!" During a relay race, kids privately express doubts about a contender in a wheelchair, but when she speeds ahead, her peers realize that they were "totally wrong!" The message may be without nuance, and some of the modeled comments are truly unkind, but Javernick suggests that stereotypes are always worth challenging. Ages 3--7. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--Keeping an open mind is a challenge for some kids, and adhering to a narrow viewpoint can limit their own experiences and impact their acceptance of people who seem different. This simple concept book shows how wrongheaded assumptions can be when it comes to trying unfamiliar foods or judging others with nontraditional learning styles, disabilities, or different physical attributes. Cheerful mixed media artwork presents individuals of varied backgrounds and ages. Speech bubbles are used to reveal children's initial prejudices, with page turns employed to indicate their revised opinions. The refrain that appears throughout is "What if everybody thought that?… They might be wrong." VERDICT This is a message-driven work but certainly a message that still needs to be delivered either in a classroom setting or during a parent-child teaching moment. A worthwhile acquisition.--Gloria Koster, formerly at West School, New Canaan, CT
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Thinking mean-spirited thoughts can be just as damaging as saying them out loud.Javernick and Madden pair up once again (What If Everybody Did That?, 2010 and What If Everybody Said That?, 2018), this time to address bullying in a school setting. One hopes that all schools are diverse with regard to both culture and ability, but it can be difficult to help students see beyond differences. Javernick poses scenarios in which children exhibit varying physical disabilities, learning disabilities, medical conditions, and more. A group of children is often depicted scrutinizing one (four taller kids in gym class look to a shorter one, thinking, "He's too little to play basketball" and "He'll NEVER get that ball in the hoop") as the titular phrase asks, "What if EVERYBODY thought that?" The following spread reads, "They might be wrong" as vignettes show the tiny tot zipping around everyone and scoring. If one sees someone using a wheelchair and automatically thinks, "Too bad she can't be in the relay race"well, "they might be wrong." The (literal) flipside offered to each scenario teaches children to be aware of these automatic assumptions and hopefully change perceptions. Madden's mixed-media illustrations show a diverse array of characters and have intentional, positive messages hidden within, sometimes scratched in chalk on the ground or hanging up in a frame on a classroom wall.Thoughts always inform actions; if we can help youngsters see individuals instead of differences, there's hope. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
