Thank You
by Jarvis; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Candlewick    32 pp.
8/24    9781536235869    $17.99

One of the earliest niceties we often aim to instill in young children is the importance of saying “thank you.” In this joyful and earnest picture book, however, the phrase simply bubbles up from the child narrator in appreciation for the world around them. The child begins their ode of gratitude by thanking the moon and sun, and from there each sincere “thank you” becomes more whimsical and imaginative. The child thanks a tree for its shade; the red cap on their head for stopping their “thoughts from floating up, up, and away”; blue and yellow for making green. After forgetting the reason to thank an elephant, the child thanks “the Tyrannosaurus for being the longest word I know.” Gratitude continues to spill over for the child’s food, loved ones, and bicycle, but what will happen when there’s nothing more to say “thank you” for? The digitally rendered mixed-media illustrations capture a wide range of textures in the child’s world, from a rock’s rough surface to a bubbly bath, while relying on simplified shapes that maintain a sense of playfulness and naiveté. The text is rhythmic and lyrical, with occasional rhyme and an ear-pleasing flow. A beautiful example of the way that books for children can guide rather than instruct. Thank you, Jarvis, for this book! (A Spanish edition, Gracias, will be released in September from NubeOcho.)

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.