Maynor, Megan. Not Enough Lollipops. Illustrated by Micah Player. Random House Kids, 2022. Unpaged. $17.99 978-0-593-37256-2. Grades PK-2. 

Alice wins the school raffle: a huge basket of lollipops! Suddenly, she is the center of attention, receiving many requests from wide-eyed schoolmates of varying ages. Then worry strikes: what if there are not enough lollipops? Now Alice hears much advice, like “I always saved you a seat!” “Don’t count the new kid, he’s not a real classmate,” “I scraped my knee” (with accompanying tears).  Alice is under pressure to part with her pops, and the desperation shows on the kids’ faces. When she’s had enough of the talk, she decides, “What if I don’t choose? What if I say everyone can handle a lollipop?  Everyone deserves one. Everyone counts.” Still people worry there may not be enough, but Alice counters, “what if there are?” A line forms and lollipops are distributed, one apiece. Typical personalities come through, from “I can’t wait!” to “There won’t be enough. You’ll see.” And some say thanks while others are upset to receive just one. Alice gives out numerous colors and flavors, and they all discover that there were enough lollipops! This begins some apologizing, like “I used to be the new kid…” All seem content, until a first-grader asks about the extras, and Alice faces the same problem.

THOUGHTS: This book would be a fun read-aloud, and could generate some important talk about fairness and decision-making, expectations and exceptions. Coloring lollipops and identifying flavors–and charting favorite flavors, totaling how many for all schoolmates–allows this book to touch on important skills.

Picture Book          Melissa Scott, Shenango Area SD