On his first day of preschool, Dimitri’s vocal affection for everything is met with wary reactions—until his guileless words begin to take root and grow.
Dimitri may be small, but his heart is as big and as open as a cloudless blue sky. “I love you,” Dimitri tells his new classmates at preschool. “I love you,” Dimitri tells the class guinea pig and the ants on the ground. “I love you,” Dimitri tells the paintbrushes and the tree with heart-shaped leaves. So why doesn’t anyone say “I love you” back? Could love also be expressed in unspoken ways? In a familiar story of navigating the social cues of new friendship, author Jane Porter and illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring offer a thoughtful tribute to the tender ones—those who spread kindness simply by being, and who love without bounds.
WINNER
| 2022 Christopher Award
Dimitri, who has dark hair and light tan skin, spends his first day at a new preschool telling everyone and everything “I love you.”. . . Shearring’s mixed-media illustrations present simple yet vibrantly patterned spreads, with people of various skin tones and hair textures populating Dimitri’s world. A gentle, resonant narrative for children navigating new social-emotional spaces. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Leaves fallen upon the ground, characters bundled in chunky scarves and sweaters, and a generous infusion of yellows and reds into each mixed-media illustration combine for a tender story of a child full of love learning the many ways it can be expressed. . .This snug lesson complements the many stories of shy children coping with their emotions in new environments. A loving tale. —School Library Journal
Jane Porter was a geography editor for a magazine before going to school to study illustration. She now works full time as an illustrator, writer, and teacher — though she still loves maps! Jane Porter lives in London with her family.
Maisie Paradise Shearring won a Bologna Children's Book Fair–Fundación SM International Award for Illustration, given in recognition of a promising new talent in the field of illustration. The author-illustrator of two other books for children, she also lectures on children's book illustration. Maisie Paradise Shearring lives in Hull, England.
On his first day of preschool, Dimitri’s vocal affection for everything is met with wary reactions—until his guileless words begin to take root and grow.
Dimitri may be small, but his heart is as big and as open as a cloudless blue sky. “I love you,” Dimitri tells his new classmates at preschool. “I love you,” Dimitri tells the class guinea pig and the ants on the ground. “I love you,” Dimitri tells the paintbrushes and the tree with heart-shaped leaves. So why doesn’t anyone say “I love you” back? Could love also be expressed in unspoken ways? In a familiar story of navigating the social cues of new friendship, author Jane Porter and illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring offer a thoughtful tribute to the tender ones—those who spread kindness simply by being, and who love without bounds.
Awards
WINNER
| 2022 Christopher Award
Praise
Dimitri, who has dark hair and light tan skin, spends his first day at a new preschool telling everyone and everything “I love you.”. . . Shearring’s mixed-media illustrations present simple yet vibrantly patterned spreads, with people of various skin tones and hair textures populating Dimitri’s world. A gentle, resonant narrative for children navigating new social-emotional spaces. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Leaves fallen upon the ground, characters bundled in chunky scarves and sweaters, and a generous infusion of yellows and reds into each mixed-media illustration combine for a tender story of a child full of love learning the many ways it can be expressed. . .This snug lesson complements the many stories of shy children coping with their emotions in new environments. A loving tale. —School Library Journal
Author
Jane Porter was a geography editor for a magazine before going to school to study illustration. She now works full time as an illustrator, writer, and teacher — though she still loves maps! Jane Porter lives in London with her family.
Maisie Paradise Shearring won a Bologna Children's Book Fair–Fundación SM International Award for Illustration, given in recognition of a promising new talent in the field of illustration. The author-illustrator of two other books for children, she also lectures on children's book illustration. Maisie Paradise Shearring lives in Hull, England.
