Chicken Soup for the Soul KIDS

July 1, 2022
With help from his friends in the Sunshine Squad, Oliver gets a handle on keeping his room straightened up. One of (so far) five titles in the series, this episode focuses on themes of cooperation and responsibility. Not only is being unable to find things in his cluttered room a downer, but being told that he can't go out to play by both parents (who are, like him, brown-skinned and present as African American) until he's done some cleaning up really puts a crimp in his day--particularly since he doesn't even know where to start. Enter his fellow squaddies, a diverse group of kids who pitch in to provide basic principles, from sorting toys into piles to turning chores into games...but properly leaving the heavy lifting like making the bed and folding clean clothes for him to do. The illustrations are so bland that even at its messiest, Oliver's spacious room has an uncluttered look, but his urban neighborhood's thorough diversity as well as views of his dad dusting and vacuuming the apartment while his mom washes dishes send unspoken messages of their own. The main points are further articulated in a closing poem about taking responsibility and a set of prose guidelines for establishing a fun cleanup routine. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Message-driven, but the advice and the values are both worth considering. (Picture book. 6-8)

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