YOU GO FIRST, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2023).
Cat and Duck are very good friends and play together all the time, so when the new slide gets built, they can’t wait to try it out! Only, the slide is very big and curvy—what if it’s too big for Cat? As Cat and Duck move closer to the front of the line, Cat imagines everything that could go wrong until his worries start to rub off on Duck. Now Duck doesn’t want to go down the slide either. Cat feels bad that Duck is missing out on the fun because of him. Can he find a way to make it right?
ISBN13: 9781665911511
Available at libraries and to order:
Praise for YOU GO FIRST:
★ "Both extremely funny and spot-on sensitive.." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Bernstein’s whimsical tale of learning through friendship combines beautifully with Rosenthal’s cheery illustrations. VERDICT A charming view of friendship and encouragement to try new things. Recommended for early readers and social-emotional learning teachers." –-Brittany McMahon, School Library Journal
"In a second match-up from collaborators Bernstein and Rosenthal (We Love Fishing!), character-forward playground vignettes, rendered in sturdy pencil outlines and cheery digital color, are comically in sync with the interplay and mood of the deadpan, emotionally astute narration and dialogue." --Publisher's Weekly
"This picture book has all the hallmarks of a beginning reader - limited vocabulary, short sentences, strong visual support of plot, lots of sight words, and ample word repetition - and it can serve just as well for new readers as it can for story times. Rosenthal's paste-hued, cartoon-style illustrations add warmth, humor, and nuance.... this book adds something fresh to the shelf." --Adrienne I. Pettinelli, The Horn Book
"The terrific text offers ample opportunities for inference and makes judicious use of repetition, while humorously
revealing supporting dialogue arrives at a surprising, satisfying resolution." --CCBC
News
Cat and Duck are very good friends and play together all the time, so when the new slide gets built, they can’t wait to try it out! Only, the slide is very big and curvy—what if it’s too big for Cat? As Cat and Duck move closer to the front of the line, Cat imagines everything that could go wrong until his worries start to rub off on Duck. Now Duck doesn’t want to go down the slide either. Cat feels bad that Duck is missing out on the fun because of him. Can he find a way to make it right?
ISBN13: 9781665911511
Available at libraries and to order:
- Indie Bound
- Bookshop
- Barnes & Noble
- Amazon
- Your local indie bookstore!
Praise for YOU GO FIRST:
★ "Both extremely funny and spot-on sensitive.." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Bernstein’s whimsical tale of learning through friendship combines beautifully with Rosenthal’s cheery illustrations. VERDICT A charming view of friendship and encouragement to try new things. Recommended for early readers and social-emotional learning teachers." –-Brittany McMahon, School Library Journal
"In a second match-up from collaborators Bernstein and Rosenthal (We Love Fishing!), character-forward playground vignettes, rendered in sturdy pencil outlines and cheery digital color, are comically in sync with the interplay and mood of the deadpan, emotionally astute narration and dialogue." --Publisher's Weekly
"This picture book has all the hallmarks of a beginning reader - limited vocabulary, short sentences, strong visual support of plot, lots of sight words, and ample word repetition - and it can serve just as well for new readers as it can for story times. Rosenthal's paste-hued, cartoon-style illustrations add warmth, humor, and nuance.... this book adds something fresh to the shelf." --Adrienne I. Pettinelli, The Horn Book
"The terrific text offers ample opportunities for inference and makes judicious use of repetition, while humorously
revealing supporting dialogue arrives at a surprising, satisfying resolution." --CCBC
News
- A 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended title (for Outstanding Writing in Picture Books)!
- A Junior Library Guild Selection for Spring 2023!
- A CCBC Choices of 2024!
- A Bank Street Books Best Children's Books of the Year [2024 Edition]!
- A Staff Faves of The Seattle Public Library for Kids Picture Books 2023!
- A Pennsylvania Center for the Book A Baker's Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy selection for 2024!
- A selection for the Children's Book Council's Building a Home Library List for 2024, Ages 0-3!
- An Oregon Library Association's selection for Book Buzz of 2024!
- A selection for the 2024 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens!