Murguia, Bethanie Deeney. When You Take a Step. Beach Lane Books, 2022. Unpaged. $18.99 978-1-534-47367-6. Grades K-2.
This book opens with a question, “What happens when you take a step?” then offers a variety of answers, each illustrated appropriately with various children stepping in different ways. The words give a sense of optimism and openness to the steps one might take. “You share a path. You share a rhythm. You gather courage and try again.” The black and white illustrations are a clever backdrop for the bright red shoes of the characters. There are links to the past and to the future, “and you make the world better/ when you take a step” and on the last page spread, the color pink infuses the black and white parade scene.
THOUGHTS: A quiet book to encourage readers that the next step is worth taking, and good things will come as you keep trying.
Picture Book Melissa Scott, Shenango Area SD