PIPER

An anthropomorphic drop of sunshine realizes that positivity comes from within in this cheerful picture book.

Yellow sunshine drop Piper and her friends live in a beautiful garden. One day, she follows a ladybug to a “strange place”—a city full of garbage and unhappy creatures, including a “slacken,” a “gluckel,” and a “grewter,” among others—where her well wishes are met with complaints. Each time, she’s hit with an “ugly” that dims her glow. Surrounded by naysayers and abandoned by the ladybug, she finally hits a low point. But when she breathes and focuses on what’s inside her, “The warmth grows. And grows.” Her glow gets rid of the uglies and encourages the dour city dwellers to follow her home. The narrative emphasizes the importance of breathing deeply and focusing on positive emotions rather than others’ unkind words. Haughee’s text is full of appealing nonsense terms and unusual vocabulary words (absorb, slinks) to challenge newly independent readers. Veselinovic’s bright, full-color illustrations reflect Piper’s sunny attitude and darken when appropriate, making her ultimate triumph shine more brightly. The emphasis on positivity makes for a fun comparison with the author and illustrator’s earlier collaboration, Grumbler(2019), which appears to be set in the same world.

A pleasant tale about battling negativity.