diverse picture books (new shoes; preschool/kinder-1st grade)
* prominently features diverse characters: the main character shown on cover is featured throughout (sometimes with his mom and sometimes in a crowd of diverse bystanders).
* Would work for a preschool storytime if the kids are storytime veterans and can sit through a longer story. There is a lot of action in the illustrations throughout, but also a lot of potentially new vocabulary phrases, so this is as much a story for active listening as it is for picture cues. Kindergarteners will be most familiar with learning to tie shoes, so I feel like those parts would resonate more with them, but preschoolers would enjoy it too. This might work for an excellent dial-a-story selection, as viewing the pictures isn't necessary to get the full story, but I think it is probably too long (above our system's 4-minute time limit). ( )

Dismayed at the prospect of getting a new set of sneakers, the young boy-narrator of this engaging picture-book reflects on the many adventures he's had with his old pair of kicks. From climbing trees to skateboarding, playing in the park to sitting on the stoop of his apartment building, there are many memories attached to his shoes. It is only the possibility of new experiences and new memories that eventually reconciles the boy to the idea of getting a new pair...

Although I never had this experience with shoes as a girl - by and large, I was happy to move on to a new pair - I do recall clinging to certain possessions, and resisting the idea of getting a replacement. I would imagine that many young children will see a bit of themselves in the narrator of My Kicks: A Sneaker Story!, even if they too had this experience with other items of clothing, or even with toys. The narrative here is engaging, the watercolor artwork appealing, and there is a special surprise - a step-by-step guide to tying shoelaces - underneath the dust-jacket. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books about sneakers, shopping, and/or our relationship to our possessions. ( )