Swing

March 15, 2020
New friendships form when the preconceived notions of various characters are broken down through play. At recess, four anthropomorphic letters, each a different shape and color, head for the swings. L arrives first and is asked by V to play. With overt disdain, L rejects V for living on the wrong side of the alphabet. When E makes the same polite request, V refuses to play with vowels. The chain of bigotry continues as O, who arrives last, is spurned because it is round. Arguing ensues until O suggests they just swing. They pump and go higher and faster, and the joy of swinging takes over, and that fun becomes a shared experience. When the letters land, they are now in a new place--literally and figuratively--as they have transformed into the word "LOVE." True to his past work, Hall uses digital illustrations full of simplified graphic shapes made to look like cut paper to explore sophisticated concepts. Done in a mostly primary palette, the letters with their block appendages are effective and charming, and thoughtful compositions help convey their shifting emotional states. As Kathryn Otoshi does in One (2008), Hall uses personified shapes to show both conflict based on outward appearances and assumptions and resolution. Teachers will appreciate it as a conversation starter when discussing how to move beyond stereotypes. Another positive title for the anti-bullying shelf. (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 15, 2020
Preschool-G Letter One is playing alone on the swing set when a second letter asks to play. But Letter One says no because?unlike him?Letter Two lives at the far end of the alphabet. When Letter Three wants to play, One and Two say no because?unlike them?it is a vowel. When Letter Four asks to join them, all three say no because?unlike them?it is round instead of made up of straight lines. As a tussle breaks out, Letter Four simply climbs onto an empty swing and suggests they all swing together, which they do, higher and higher, until they begin laughing and fall into their correct order: L-O-V-E. As he did with Red (2015), Hall again anthropomorphizes familiar and colorful inanimate objects to create a simple and intuitive story of acceptance and love. His art style is immediately recognizable, with its playful combination of paint and cut-paper collage creating beautiful textured pops of color on large white backgrounds. This will be a discussion starter and crowd-pleaser for schools, families, and libraries alike.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
The title spread introduces a school--a place of learning and growth--where outside the classroom window a swing set stands empty and waiting. A letter L sits alone on one of four swings as the story begins. When letter V approaches, wanting to play, L rejects V for being "different"--V lives near the end of the alphabet, not the middle like L. The same pattern repeats when first E and then O try to join the fun: V (who has hopped on a swing, invited or not) rejects E for being a vowel, then E rejects O for not being "made up of straight lines" like the rest of them. As small tussles break out, O suggests, "Let's just swing!" Their moods improve the higher they soar, and when they come back down, they're "different" again...having become a group of friends (whose order on the swings just happens to spell the word LOVE). The text's repetition and simple vocabulary are age-appropriate but also helpful in highlighting--along with the illustrations--the multiple facets of the story, with its focus not just on the alphabet but also on more abstract concepts such as kindness and acceptance of others. Minimal shapes for the face, arms, and legs of each letter add an impressive range of expression and emotion. Texture in the "digitally combined collages of painted and cut paper" stands out against the mainly white background; minimal details keep the focus for young viewers on the letters and their quintessentially childlike interactions.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2020
The title spread introduces a school-a place of learning and growth-where outside the classroom window a swing set stands empty and waiting. A letter L sits alone on one of four swings as the story begins. When letter V approaches, wanting to play, L rejects V for being "different"-V lives near the end of the alphabet, not the middle like L. The same pattern repeats when first E and then O try to join the fun: V (who has hopped on a swing, invited or not) rejects E for being a vowel, then E rejects O for not being "made up of straight lines" like the rest of them. As small tussles break out, O suggests, "Let's just swing!" Their moods improve the higher they soar, and when they come back down, they're "different" again...having become a group of friends (whose order on the swings just happens to spell the word LOVE). The text's repetition and simple vocabulary are age-appropriate but also helpful in highlighting-along with the illustrations-the multiple facets of the story, with its focus not just on the alphabet but also on more abstract concepts such as kindness and acceptance of others. Minimal shapes for the face, arms, and legs of each letter add an impressive range of expression and emotion. Texture in the "digitally combined collages of painted and cut paper" stands out against the mainly white background; minimal details keep the focus for young viewers on the letters and their quintessentially childlike interactions. Cynthia K. Ritter

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)