Can I Play Too?

December 15, 2019
All young children learn that an enthusiastic "Can I play too?" is the fastest way to make new friends, but it isn't always smooth sailing. Two children sit together to build a train track. Anyone who has been around kids knows the chaos that can erupt between children trying to work together to build the perfect track. However, it is also a chance for a lot of learning opportunities. As readers turn the pages, they see one child take the lead as the other becomes more and more frustrated not to be heard. This is seen mostly in the children's facial expressions and posture. Ultimately, the child who's not heard gets angry and storms off, leaving the other child confused. This child's mother sees what has happened and jumps in with some helpful tools on reading others' emotions and appropriately reacting to them: green, yellow, and red signals like a traffic light's. The iconic smiley/frowny faces that accompany this lesson nicely complement the clarity of Cotterill's character depictions. (The child who dominates in play presents white; their playmate presents black.) It's a simple lesson in empathy that can go a long way. The book wraps up with the children trying to build a new track and then putting into practice what they learned--a lesson that is definitely not limited to playtime. An emotional-literacy booster to add to the regular reading rotation. (Picture book. 4-7)

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February 1, 2020

PreS-K-A young boy is excited to play trains with a new friend, but fails to notice the other boy's anger and frustration when he proceeds to completely take over their playtime. The tension continues to build until the two begin a tug of war that threatens to derail the new friendship before it has truly begun. Fortunately, a teacher finds a way to help the young boy learn some social cues by using traffic signals to indicate his friends' emotions and identify when things may be going wrong. The text is very simple with easy-to-understand dialogue. Illustrations are in ink and pencil on watercolor paper, and are primarily in red, yellow, and green with touches of pale blue. VERDICT A wonderful choice for anyone seeking books on social-emotional development or for use with helping kids on the spectrum better understand social cues.-Jessica Marie, Salem Public Library, OR

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
Preschool-K In this Little Senses title, part of a series designed to help children on the autism spectrum or with sensory issues to develop tools for processing their feelings, what begins as mutual fun for two boys playing with a train set becomes contentious when the blond boy takes over, unaware of his dark-skinned playmate's growing frustration. A struggle ensues, and when the blond boy, also upset, goes to sit alone, an adult shares a book using traffic-signal colors to gauge others' feelings ( Friends have traffic signals too ). For example, green features a happy train ( Say: ?This is fun!' ); red is a frowning, angry train ( Say: ?What's wrong?' ). The tactic proves helpful when the boys' playtime resumes, deterring another possible conflict. Cotterill, who's on the spectrum herself, relies predominantly on dialogue and expressive pencil-and-ink illustrations, which nicely telegraph the emotions and reactions in the two boys. Kids, as well as their adults, will likely appreciate the supportive, thoughtful, and positive approach to dealing with emotions and responses, along with the themes of sharing, collaboration, and being considerate of others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)