Ping

Gr 1--3--A small roundish figure dressed in red sends a ping pong ball across the white expanse of the page. "My friend, in this life…/…we can only PING." After turning the page, readers see the other side of the table, and a lanky figure dressed in aqua who enthusiastically returns the ball while the text explains that, "The PONG belongs to the other./You Ping./They Pong." With the red-clad figure as a guide, children learn that whatever they put out into the world is a Ping (a smile, a song, a gesture), but it helps to remember that they can't control what comes back, only what is put out. The text extols readers to Ping in myriad ways, from bravely to wisely to joyfully, and to prepare themselves to receive the Pong and carefully listen and consider what it is coming back to them. Is it something to learn, or be thankful for? Something to let go of or to keep? Whatever the message received, readers should take the time they need and carefully consider what they put out into the world. The flat, textural watercolor figures are charming, with just the right amount of detail to spark curiosity without muddling the message. VERDICT A clever reminder about what we can control in life, and what we cannot, and a worthy addition to large collections.--Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN

Castillo's debut employs a playful metaphor to explore socioemotional skills, addressing readers directly with tender, encouraging language. Minimalist, lightly textured ink-and-watercolor illustrations depict adorably blobby humanoid figures wearing hooded bodysuits in a range of colors. The primary figure, a short blob, has round red cheeks and wears what looks like a red, hooded snowsuit. Each figure has round black eyes and a red dot of a nose on a white face while ink linework carefully denotes the figures' expressions so that even the youngest readers may decipher them. The accompanying text uses "ping" to explain and promote each figure's ownership of their feelings and actions, while "pong" clearly and simply demonstrates that one cannot control othersone can only control one's response to others. "Time to listen! The pong is giving you something // Is it something to learn? / Something to think about? / / Something to challenge you? / Something to keep?" While most spreads have plain white (usually) or black backgrounds, one spread depicting "taking a pause" after receiving a "pong" utilizes a richly illustrated page of lush green leaves to illustrate how the pause can be "as long as you need." Overall, the book's design and deliberate pacing support its message; however, much of the text is printed in an unnecessarily large font that competes with, rather than complementing, the illustrations. This is most problematic in several visually busy spreads that include text in multiple point sizes, "pinging" unevenly from one spot illustration to the next.A sweetly articulated and socially valuable message for readers of many ages. (Picturebook. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.