STUCK! (HELP, PLEASE!)

Kit and Grandma work through frustrations at the Critter Tot Lot.

Kit experiences all kinds of challenging situations while at the playground, such as not being able to zip up their jacket and getting stuck in a tunnel slide. Grandma is there to calmly provide support each time Kit feels frustrated, and finally, when Kit feels frightened while crossing a bridge, they calm themself down and make it across. Showing off those newly acquired skills, Kit helps another playground friend. Silverstein’s rhyming text gives the book a zippy cadence ideal for read-alouds, and the dialogue grounds the story. The note for parents at the end provides useful, basic tips on helping toddlers problem-solve and manage difficult situations and emotions. Paprocki’s illustrations are sweet and match the tone of the book. All of the critters are anthropomorphized; Kit and Grandma appear to be oversize chipmunklike creatures, and there’s a bespectacled mouse and a raccoon wearing a hat, for example, all with expressive faces and movements. The book demonstrates the concept of guiding a child through sticky circumstances and unpleasant feelings while reassuring little ones that tough situations have resolutions. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Concisely addresses familiar toddler behavior in a meaningful way.