Colagiovanni, Marc. When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Orchard Books, 2023. 978-1-338-83118-4. 40 p. $18.99. Grades PreK-3.

In the beginning of this book, nothing is going right for our main character, no matter what they do. So they decide to go left. As the book goes on, the reader can see all the things the main character left behind and how that affects each decision they make moving forward. When they finally get to the end, they discover that their fears, worries, and concerns are smaller and they just need to make sure that they keep an eye on them so they don’t get out of control again. Throughout the book, there is a little bird that follows the main character, which is a nice addition in an otherwise minimalistic style of illustrations.

THOUGHTS: This is a great addition to any elementary school collection, and would be a great read aloud to discuss what to do if things aren’t going right. This would also be great to use with any art lessons about more minimal illustrations, or if you were doing an illustrator study on Peter H. Reynolds.

Picture Book