The boy who loved everyone

Jane Porter, 1964 August 30-

Book - 2021

"Dimitri may be small, but his heart is as big and open as a cloudless sky. "I love you," Dimitri tells his new friends at preschool. "I love you," Dimitri tells the class guinea pig. "I love you," Dimitri tells the tree with heart-shaped leaves. So why doesn't anyone say it back? Maybe there are ways of saying "I love you" without words. A heart-bursting tribute to the tender ones, like Dimitri, who spread love and kindness without hesitation, fear, or shame."--Book jacket.

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jE/Porter
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Location Call Number   Status
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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Somerville, Massachusetts : Candlewick Press [2021]
Language
English
Main Author
Jane Porter, 1964 August 30- (author)
Other Authors
Maisie Paradise Shearring, 1991- (illustrator)
Edition
First US edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 25 x 29 cm
ISBN
9781536211238
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Dimitri, who has dark hair and light tan skin, spends his first day at a new preschool telling everyone and everything "I love you." He professes devotion to classmates, a large tree, Berthe the lunch lady--even "to the guinea pig and to the paintbrushes, who didn't seem to mind." But when no one returns his explicit declarations, Dimitri informs his mother, who has dark skin and short black natural hair, that he doesn't want to return to school the next morning. Mom imparts a lesson: "When you tell people you love them," she says, "even if they don't say it back or show it, they feel it. That's just the way love is." Pointing out how an elderly man shows love by feeding stray cats, Mom encourages Dimitri to preserve his tenderness--advice that serves him well as he embarks on another day at school. Shearring's mixed-media illustrations present simple yet vibrantly patterned spreads, with people of various skin tones and hair textures populating Dimitri's world. A gentle, resonant narrative for children navigating new social-emotional spaces. Ages 3--7. (Jan.)

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Toddler-PreS--Enthusiastic about the first day of preschool, Dimitri, a boy with dark brown hair and tan skin, snuggles up with new classmate Liam at story time and tells him he loves him. The boy doesn't respond. Dimitri continues to tell others that he loves them, including the lunch lady, his teacher, the class guinea pig, the ants at recess, and a scruffy man in the park on the way home from school. He is discouraged when no one says "I love you" in return. Dimitri's mom, who has darker brown skin than Dimitri, describes how everyone has their own way of expressing love and "even if they don't say it back or show it, they feel it." As the two walk to school the next morning, Dimitri's mom draws attention to the unique ways that love is expressed through sharing food, warm embraces, and friendly waves each day. The story illustrates diversity in race and ethnicity, especially among Dimitri's classmates. Dimitri's teacher has darker brown skin than Dimitri, and long braided gray hair, and the teacher's classroom aide wears a head covering. Leaves fallen upon the ground, characters bundled in chunky scarves and sweaters, and a generous infusion of yellows and reds into each mixed-media illustration combine for a tender story of a child full of love learning the many ways it can be expressed. VERDICT This snug lesson complements the many stories of shy children coping with their emotions in new environments. A loving tale.--Emily Brush, Novi P.L., MI

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Meet Dimitri, a boy whose love spills over to those around him. Dimitri, a young, sensitive boy with beige skin and dark hair, loves the world around him--the tree in the park, his friends, his teacher, the book they read at storytime, an old man in the park, the guinea pig, even the paintbrushes. He can't help but tell everyone and everything how he feels. Sadly, others don't respond the way he expects, making jokes, moving away from him, even rebuking him. Dejected, Dimitri isn't sure he likes school anymore and asks his mother if he may stay home. Rather than disagree with him or minimize his anxiety, his mother instead gets him ready for school and, on their walk through the park, points out how people show their feelings to one another in lots of different ways, not just by saying, "I love you." Dimitri is reassured and ready for a new day at school, where a surprise awaits him. Economical yet descriptive text carries readers through this quiet and heartwarming story that models a journey in social-emotional development. Poignant, childlike illustrations, rendered in primary colors and featuring textured backgrounds, offer young readers plenty of details to pore over (especially a recurring ladybug motif). Moreover, thoughtfully drawn and vigorously diverse characters--children and adults--fill each bright spread with everyday diversity and clearly model care for one another through their interactions. A book for sharing, learning, and loving--one another and ourselves. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.