All That Glimmers

Cheering rhymes infuse a gray day with color in this ebullient picture book about managing big emotions by focusing on mindful awareness in the present moment. “When you’re shuffling along,/ and you’re dragging your feet,/ you feel gloomy and doomy and slightly offbeat.// Then what’s that you spy from the side of your eye?// Tiny sparkles of hope going flickering by!” lines chirp as a child catches sight of an insect, the experience imbuing the initially grayscale figure with warm pastel hues. Additional scenes follow the same rhythm, with moments of embodied attentiveness providing characters with the grounding they need to move past negative emotions. As pages increasingly fill with color, Baker’s smooth narration builds outward, showcasing how “glimmers of hope” can be empathically shared. Employing hand-painted textures and digital watercolor and pencil, Kaulitzki’s scenes follow a busy cast of characters, depicted with varied skin tones, across this beatific portrait of the regulating power of paying attention. Ages 6–8. (Feb.)