100 Things I Know How to Do

May 28, 2021

PreS-K-"Tiptoe," "Say hello," "Zig-zag," and "Play tag," are just the opening lines of this companion to 100 Things I Love To Do With You and 100 Things That Make Me Happy. Particularly salient due to the times we are in, this work is a look at freedom without hesitation or current restrictions, as in the parent and child "Eating out" have no masks. Characteristically bright and colorful illustrations fill every page, and the variety of playful fonts adds life and movement to the actions depicted. Schwartz visually demonstrates the dual aspects of independence that are portrayed throughout the text. Independence can be community and solitary at the same time. Children and families in these pages do things alone, or together. Schwartz makes it all look like a breeze. VERDICT With dynamic sets of rhyming pairs to read aloud or all alone, this book makes the mere act of existing and doing into an all-day celebration.-Ruth Guerrier-Pierre, New York P.L.

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2021
Schwartz's third picture book cataloging 100 things (100 Things That Make Me Happy, rev. 11/14; 100 Things I Love to Do with You) celebrates some of the many everyday milestones in growing up: "Help cook / Read a book / Bounce a ball / Stand tall." The text's rhythm keeps the pace lively, while the gouache illustrations inject each activity with true joy and personality. Through the montage of pictures representing a variety of children and families, special moments are woven together to capture how seemingly small accomplishments, such as zipping a coat, taking medicine, or building a fort, all work together to have a big impact on young children. Thin lines and pops of color create a tiny, engaging story within every scene. The small spot art occasionally expands into a larger image that uses the same scale but takes up most of the page, encouraging viewers to pause and consider an activity more deeply: "Touch the sky / Say goodbye." There is much to recognize, relate to, and discover for children and grownups sharing this book for the first time or on repeated viewings. A poster on the back of the book jacket brings all one hundred things together into a large, countable burst of colorful activity. Julie Roach

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from May 1, 2021
A big book about little experiences from a keen documentarian of early childhood. In this tour de force, Schwartz makes slice-of-life depictions of the everyday lives of young children seem like a piece of cake, belying her extraordinary skills of observation and visual characterization. As in companion titles 100 Things I Love To Do With You (2017) and 100 Things That Make Me Happy (2014), the first-person pronoun in the title is not visually interpreted as a single child but rather as a multiracial ensemble of toddlers and preschoolers, which provides an inclusive, welcoming vision. Deceptively simple couplets introduce the "100 things" these diverse youngsters know how to do while the accompanying art provides visual details for readers to pore over. Meanwhile, expert pacing sparingly uses full-page illustrations to create contemplative moments amid the frequent, energetic vignettes, delivering a visual rhythm that's every bit as engaging as the bouncing, rhyming words. In one spread, for instance, three vignettes arranged vertically on verso illustrate "build boats / zip coats / wave wands" while across the gutter, a full-page image depicts two adult-child pairs as they "explore ponds"--actually just one pond in a peaceful meadow. With this trio of books, Schwartz solidifies her place alongside the likes of Kate Greenaway, Gyo Fujikawa, Helen Oxenbury, Shirley Hughes, and Marla Frazee as chroniclers of little ones' lives. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Should you get this book? 100% yes. (Picture book. 2-6)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
Schwartz's third picture book cataloging 100 things (100 Things That Make Me Happy, rev. 11/14; 100 Things I Love to Do with You) celebrates some of the many everyday milestones in growing up: "Help cook / Read a book / Bounce a ball / Stand tall." The text's rhythm keeps the pace lively, while the gouache illustrations inject each activity with true joy and personality. Through the montage of pictures representing a variety of children and families, special moments are woven together to capture how seemingly small accomplishments, such as zipping a coat, taking medicine, or building a fort, all work together to have a big impact on young children. Thin lines and pops of color create a tiny, engaging story within every scene. The small spot art occasionally expands into a larger image that uses the same scale but takes up most of the page, encouraging viewers to pause and consider an activity more deeply: "Touch the sky / Say goodbye." There is much to recognize, relate to, and discover for children and grownups sharing this book for the first time or on repeated viewings. A poster on the back of the book jacket brings all one hundred things together into a large, countable burst of colorful activity.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)