Michael Leannah

I'm torn about this book. I love the overall idea of the message. I love the idea of being reassuring to kids, and I don't think it's wrong -- I think most people do want to be helpful and happy and all. I love the diversity in the illustrations, too.

What I have a hard time with is this line:
"A person who is frowning and mad, or sad, or mean is like a sour grape in a bunch of sweet grapes"

because to me that reads as a dismissal of real feelings. In fact, I think that's what troubles me about the whole book. Yes, there are a lot of angry and sad people in the world. There is a lot of hate and violence and horrible things, and we all need hope for and work towards better times. But I think a lot of those immense feelings are justified, and one of the causes of all the bad stuff in the world is that we don't talk about things that make us uncomfortable, and we don't confront things that are bad. For me, this book is a great try that fell down really hard about halfway through. Am I overthinking it? Yep. Is it worth looking at? Yep. Would I recommend it? Probably not.

If you want to check out a book that deals with some of the same themes, try Daddy, There's a Noise Outside by Kenneth Braswell.… (altro)

I like that this book emphasizes that "some people do bad things" rather than labeling certain people "bad." I was truly on board with most everything until I got to this point:

"A person who is frowning and mad, or sad, or mean is like a sour grape in a bunch of sweet grapes. That person would almost always rather be happy, smiling, and laughing. Everyone looks nicer when they smile and laugh."

This completely disregards the range of emotions that children feel and should feel, and instills the idea that being happy is somehow the default for "good" people, not to mention the many injustices that a great deal of children face that are completely out of their control. We need books that validate the full range of emotions that human beings experience, especially if we want children to grow up with a healthy and well-rounded approach to their mental and emotional health.… (altro)