13 Stories about Harris

Because of their brevity, the chapters leave room for listeners to embellish the stories with their own creativity . . . . Harris gets into some mischief, but the book's tone remains gentle and warm.

Bright, clean, colorful illustrations are set against generous white space for maximum impact and appeal. Schwartz has for decades been one of our most tuned-in, honest, and sympathetic chroniclers of childhood; here she is at her absolute best.

Toddler-PreS--Toddlers don't look toward the future, unless it's a birthday coming, of course, nor do they mull the past. They're kind of in the moment. The brilliance of Schwartz is that she knows how to mirror the way they see the world. Harris, an imaginative, creative, and curious three-year-old, and his best friend Ayana are the central characters in these 13 episodes that are not necessarily connected, or even very important. A narrator chronicles unfolding events without any judgment at all--even when the little ones use permanent marker on the wall, even when they each come home from the beach wearing one sock. One day, Harris pretends he's a truck all day long. And he learns so much from all of this play: His mother puts cream in a jar, and Harris shakes it like crazy. When he's done, the cream is butter, which tastes delicious with bread and jam. This book is exactly what being a toddler is all about, and Schwartz shares it with simple language, wonderful art, and an attitude of sheer delight. VERDICT Harris and Ayana are best friends who will hold hands forever, and readers need to know more about what becomes of these two cuties. A must for every collection serving toddlers and their adults.--Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Through 13 vignettes set in an urban neighborhood, Schwartz (Busy Babies) introduces readers to Harris, a blond, curly-haired preschooler leading what appears to be a charmed childhood. Many of the collection's flash-fiction-like chapters end with wondrous discoveries: in one, Harris babysits a hamster named Stanley and later finds six tiny pink babies in the cage; in another, Harris and his mother shake a jar of cream until it turns to butter. And in the book's shortest story, the child's mother stands before a wall covered in colorful scribbles: "That's why they call permanent markers permanent," she says. Harris's playfulness is a constant, as when he draws a chalk line so long it leads him back home, but at the heart of the book is his purehearted friendship with brown-skinned friend Ayana, which culminates in an ending tribute to the pair's affection for one another. If gender roles feel a touch outdated (it's Harris's mother's shopping list that blows away when the family walks together), Schwartz's simple, straightforward diction maps precisely to her delicate line drawings to create nostalgic snapshots that demonstrate the way magic can be found in the mundane. Ages 4-8. (July)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

The illustrations are classic Schwartz, with finely drawn, carefully composed vignettes in vivid colors of children at play. The stories' pacing varies, but each one gets it just right. . . . Put 13 Stories About Harris into the hands of young readers ready for a baker's dozen of whimsical tales.— Book Page

Organized into a baker's dozen of vignettes, each of the book's chapters is full of charm and understated humor. —Foreword Reviews