cover image A Graduation Celebration: You Are on Your Way! Hooray!

A Graduation Celebration: You Are on Your Way! Hooray!

Emily Skwish, illus. by Gillian Flint. Phoenix International Publications (PI Kids), $8.99 (14p) ISBN 978-1-5037-4532-2

This small board book features a turquoise plastic star that, when pressed, plays an upbeat musical tune (an end page provides sing-along lyrics). A friendly boy and girl appear in the images: they ride on scooters, play musical instruments at sea, and ride in a hot air balloon. Animal characters join the children, while Skwish offers encouraging lines: “You worked, you learned, you grew!/ You did your very best.” Flint alters the children’s clothing and hair colors to match the animal characters and objects: they are colored blue like a splashy whale, pink like a pig, and green like a chameleon that changes but also stays the same: “And as each season passes,/ you will change and grow./ But you’ll still be the you/ that we all love and know.” Ages 1–up. [em](Feb.) [/em]