Haus-hold Picture Book Review: Sometimes It's Nice to Be Alone

This Book Really "Gets" Me.

Seriously. I feel SEEN.

As someone who has always been told

"you're so outgoing!", I long considered myself an extrovert. After some leadership coaching and self discovery over time, I learned that extroverted introverts exist, and that I'm one of them! This book showed me both sides of myself- the person who likes to be alone, and the person who loves to have a friend along for the ride.

Synopsis

Doing things alone is nice. Eating a cookie. Reading a book. Spying in the rain. But maybe a friend joins, and maybe having a friend along is nice, too.

My Big Kid’s Honest Review:

What my Kids Loved: Phillip Stead's illustrations are colorful and inviting, and both of my kids loved them. The little one didn't have much patience for the words (he's only two, so we'll give him a pass this time), but he loved pointing out the different animals. The big kid really appreciated the imagination of each scene and was delighted by who showed up each time as the "friend".

What I Loved: This book was easy for me to love. I felt a true connection to the child in this story (you had me alone, cookies, and books), made deeper by Amy Hest's gentle, lyrical voice. The playful imagery with words and phrases like "on a seaside walk, making big footprints, and heel and toe prints" and "the only sound in the world is the whispery sound of you turning pages" pulled me in and held me there.

Final thoughts: Soft and soothing, this book is a great read for bedtime or any other time that welcomes calm. As a person who straddles the line between introversion and extroversion, I appreciated that the message in this story can go both ways. For the busy body kids, this is a welcome reminder that it's okay to slow down, take time for yourself, and enjoy being alone. For those who prefer to be alone, the book gently suggests that sometimes a little company is nice, too.

You can purchase Sometimes It's Nice to Be Alone from Penguin Random House or major retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble- but don't forget to check your local independent bookstore first!