cover image Bring It!: A Little "Baggage" to Help the High School Graduate Carry On

Bring It!: A Little "Baggage" to Help the High School Graduate Carry On

Tom Hegg, illus. by Lindsay Nohl, Chris Hajny, and Francesca Buchko. Tristan (www.tristanpublishing.com), $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-931674-58-7

Hegg's newest is a charming though childish illustrated gift book aimed at recent high school grads headed to college. Composed in upbeat rhymes ("Congratulations! Graduation's here/ and then it's gone%E2%80%A6/ And POOF! You're down to thank-you/ cards and cleaning up the lawn."), this quick read is full of digestible life lessons imparted by a knowing forebear. Advice ranges from the experiential (e.g., "Be present. Listen. See. Taste./ Touch. Smell. Each and every day.") to the moral (e.g., "I hope you bring some guilt%E2%80%A6but not immobilizing shame./ I mean the guilt that helps you do for those who'd do the same."), though Hegg's (A Cup of Christmas Tea) counsel occasionally verges on patronizing, or simply clueless, as when he suggests to "bring your squishy pillow/ and your teddy bear./ Your roommate's bound to bring/ them too, so no one's going to care." Incoming college freshman who follow this bit of advice will likely pay a price. While the wisdom is doubtless valuable, the presentation makes this offering better suited to a much, much younger audience. (Feb.)