Linda Davick

diverse picture book (greetings, making friends, kindness / for toddlers/preschool/kinder 2 and up?)
from the illustrator who brought us the acclaimed We Love You, Rosie! and who also authored I Love You Nose! I Love You Toes!

* features diverse characters: Yes, though the lighter-skinned kids outnumber the medium- to dark-skinned kids 19:12, including the kids on the book jacket, if you count the lighter-skinned, maybe-Asian, maybe-Hispanic kid in the middle as a POC). All 5 of the adults pictured in the book have light skin. It's maybe not truly representative of a lot of neighborhoods, but I would still count it as "diverse," and it helps that there are equal numbers of darker and lighter-skinned children visible on the front cover.
* Suitable for toddler/preschool storytime: Lovely, large and colorful pictures and a small amount of text on each page make this a good choice for a read-aloud, esp. for teachers working on a "greetings" unit (is that a thing? maybe). This story would be too long for the wiggly toddlers in my group, but could work for pre-walkers and their parents, or older toddlers who are more accustomed to circle time (others have commented in their reviews that this went over great with their toddler groups, so this is a definite possibility, esp. if you clip/skip some of the pages to shorten it).… (mer)

With tons of spunk and silly moments, Mimi pulls through every situation and somehow gets even the most difficult moments to smooth out...more or less, in her own way.

Mimi lives with her neighbors in a tower, each one with their own floor. She goes to school and drives her own car. When a new boy moves in, Mimi's not sure what to think. He's not the kind of person she'd hoped to have as a neighbor. At school, he's not any better. Somehow, Mimi's going to have to figure out how to handle the entire thing.

While there is a more serious message in these pages, this is not a serious book. Silliness and quirkiness spills from every page in the most delightful and unexpected ways. Mimi's life is anything but logical—she lives by herself with kids who live by themselves in their own apartments on each floor in a very skinny tall tower. They drive cars. They cook. They lead their own lives. But then, they go to school and are just like any other kids, having to deal with their teachers and mistakes. Neither do they behave like adults or those who live on their own. Granted, Mimi bakes cakes and they drive and do all those necessary things, but they are kids. Completely. It's silliness to giggles, and exactly what this age group dreams and loves.

The story fits well to the younger end of the middle grade range, and with 176 pages, might seem a bit thick. But it's not. The print is large, keeping the text on each page at a level which doesn't overwhelm. Every page carries an illustration or at the minimum, phrases in extremely large print to add funny emphasis. It's entertaining and holds humor high every moment. While the plot may lack, the fun takes over making a ridiculous and fun read.

I received a complimentary copy and found it so silly and sweet that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.… (mer)