  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 09/01/2019 *Starred Review* Fogliano’s endearing rhyming text offers encouraging words for one who wants to take off and explore—and it includes references to some handy equipment to take along. Whether the reader is leaving for kindergarten, summer camp, or college, the words offer reassurance that you’re free to leave home knowing there are loving arms ready and waiting for your return. In striking paint and collage artwork, Robinson uses a simple, flat perspective that employs the colors of burgundy, tan, black, and gray with punches of red and blue on pure white backdrops and presents sweet pictures with a multicultural cast of children. Going away on one’s own can elicit varying emotions, and the text takes those into account: “Just in case you want to sing / here’s a la la la / and a ding ding ding” contrasts with “just in case you want to cry / here’s a tissue / and here’s a sigh.” Images of things that fly include birds, butterflies, airplanes—paper and propeller—and a superhero’s cape. The final double-page spread reveals a child being lovingly tucked into bed with a bedspread that’s covered with pictures of the items mentioned in the rhymes. A charming assurance about letting go of the things you love, from the creators of When’s My Birthday? (2017). - Copyright 2019 Booklist. School Library Journal - 10/01/2019 PreS-Gr 2—Uplifting text and enchanting artwork provide encouragement for youngsters looking to dream big and journey far, as well as soothing reassurance that home will always be waiting. "Just in case you want to fly/here's some wind/and here's the sky." As a smiling girl gazes out of her apartment window at laundry swaying on a clothesline, one shirt is carried away by the breeze, seemingly headed for adventures unknown and giving the impression that anything is possible. Reading with the cadence and familiarity of a favorite nursery rhyme, the verses gently outfit listeners with all of the required necessities for imaginary excursions, from "a cherry if you need a snack/and if you get itchy…a scratch on the back" to "a joke/if you want to laugh" and a tissue and a sigh "just in case you want to cry." Loosely echoing a getting-ready-for-bed routine, the book comes to a cozy climax with the offering of "honey for your tea" and "a map/with an x on the spot/to find your way/home to me." Done in paint and collage, the artwork utilizes simple shapes and textured brush strokes to depict an appealing cast of diverse children and an array of whimsically rendered animals and everyday objects. VERDICT Striking a dream-nurturing balance between the commonplace and the magical, this lovely picture book is perfect for sharing one-on-one at bedtime or anytime.—Joy Fleishhacker, Pikes Peak Library District, Colorado Springs - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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