I think the old saying, "smiling is contagious" is true. A little, simple gesture such as seeing a familiar face smile at me has the power to change my dumpy day into a delightful one. Sam McBratney one of my favorite children's book authors, wrote this book, "I Love It When You Smile", to cheer readers up even on their grumpiest of days. Charles Fuge, the illustrator does a great job and the combination of the way the story is written and the bright pictures make this a book that I can see myself reading aloud to my students when my classroom is infected with the Monday morning blues.
One of the reasons I believe children will love this book is because the pages switch from horizontal to vertical to show motion and height of the two main kangaroo characters. Also, no matter what the reader's background is, everyone can relate to this book because everyone has had a bad day and is not always in the mood to smile. Although this book doesn't really have a solid, strong, educational message, I sill think it is good to have these little, light stories mixed into the curriculum.
On each page of the book there is so much to look at, for example, I didn't even notice the first time I read it that Roo has his friends: a duck, mouse and bee follow him throughout the whole story. Having animals, especially kangaroos, play the main characters make the story what it is. If the Sam McBratney had humans be the main characters, it wouldn't have the same light-hearted effect on readers as it does now. It also has the power to let children know humans aren't the only ones who have bad days. It is okay not to always be in a good mood, but when you smile, it makes not only your day better, but also people around you better as well.
By using such detailed illustrations and adding different activities that kangaroos like to do, readers can learn a lot about kangaroos and the environment they live in.
At the end of this book I do have to confess... I smiled:).
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