Before You

Starred review from October 31, 2016
Doughty (Some Tips for a Happier World and a Better Life) eloquently deploys a string of metaphors, first to highlight a sense of feeling incomplete ("I was a flower with no pot./ I was a polka with no dot") and then to describe the satisfaction and happiness that come with finding one's perfect pair ("I had a cup, you brought the tea./ I had a boat, you brought the sea"). Scraggily outlined in black ink, Doughty's cartoons never turn saccharine, especially in forlorn scenes of ice-cream-less cones and about-to-be-squashed four-leaf clovers in the first half of the book, and her poem works just as well to describe a parent's love of his or her child as it does to express romantic affection. Ages 4â7. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

October 1, 2016
Doughty explores the difference one person can make.The first half of the book looks at the world before you came along. I was a flower with no pot. // I was a polka with no dot. The latter assertion is cleverly illustrated by a scene of animals, all in polka-dot clothing, dancing the polka in the background while a forlorn pig stands alone looking on, back to readers. But then you arrive, and everything is different. You put the cozy in the nook. / You put the story in the book. The pictures backgrounds modulate from white to colorful scenes, and now there are two to share things in each illustration, though there is no consistent you or methe anthropomorphic animals (and objects!) change throughout. The line-and-color cartoon artwork highlights the sadness of being alone in the first half and the joy of sharing things with a friend in the second, body language and facial expressions doing the heavy lifting. In addition to the books obvious love-you-lots theme, its bounty of metaphors and clever depictions of them make it a boon for classroom use. A celebration of friendship that uses metaphors to excellent effect. (Picture book. 4-7)

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November 1, 2016

Gr 3 Up-This picture book pairs brief sentences with simple ink and Flashe paint illustrations on a white background to describe a sense of incompleteness: "I was a flower with no pot./I was a polka with no dot." "I was a bowl without a fish./A birthday cake without a wish." "I was a sky without the blue./I was a ME without a YOU." A transitional page follows with the line, "Then you arrived and changed the tune!" and an image of animals marching and playing instruments. Text and illustrations now appear on colored backgrounds: "You woke the sun./You lit the moon." "I had a cup, you brought the tea./I had a boat, you brought the sea." "Now I'm a bird and you're my song./So tell me now.../what took you so long?" While the images and text are part of the world of a young child and the colorful animal characters resemble art that a child might create, the theme of dependence upon another person for happiness may be confusing for young readers. This title is best suited for older readers studying forms of expression, but they may find the illustrations condescending. VERDICT For larger collections.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2017
An illustrated love poem that could easily be given to a friend, lover, or child. The sweetness of the message is balanced by unflashy line drawings with saturated colors. The simple rhyming text captures the feeling of loneliness before meeting a special someone ("I was a tail without a wag. / Just a bean without a bag") and the sense of joy and excitement afterward.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)