Kirkus
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The elephant and human child introduced inHow To Cheer Up a Friend (2024) continue to deal with the ups and downs of friendship. The two carry a large basket full of colorful blocks, and the brown-skinned youngster quickly constructs a tower, only for the elephant to place a yellow truck on top, sending the blocks tumbling. Does the pachyderm take responsibility? At first, the animal looks a bit embarrassed. Meanwhile, an unseen narrator poses thoughtful questions: “What do you do… // when something you’ve done… / really, really / upsets someone? // Do you say it’s something you’dnever do? / A squirrel did it— / of course not you!” The child is visibly upset, and the elephant’s mind races (thought bubbles indicate the pachyderm’s varied emotional responses). Eventually, the elephant utters those magic words: “I’m sorry.” The narration continues: “The answer you want might not come right away. / But if you wait… / and wait… / they might finally say… / ‘I forgive you. We’re okay.’” McNeill’s softly hued, smudgy mixed-media illustrations, a combination of gouache, pencil, and cut paper, blend with Calmenson’s plainspoken text for a straightforward yet sensitive exploration of a situation encountered by most kids; the expressive elephant cuts an especially sweet figure—initially hiding behind a tree, drooping with worry, and, at last, cheerfully helping to construct a new tower. A quiet tale to spur useful conversation about blame, accountability, and apologies.(Picture book. 3-5) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.