About This Book
Reach for this book when your child starts noticing that the social 'rules' of the playground are changing or when an older sibling is becoming a distant, moody teenager. Waylon is an eight year old scientist who feels like his world is undergoing a messy Big Bang: his fourth grade class is splitting into rival cliques, and his once close sister has traded her bright colors for black clothes and sarcasm. It is a gentle, perceptive story that validates the anxiety of growing up while offering a hopeful path forward. Pennypacker captures the specific vulnerability of a child who wants everyone to just get along. It is perfectly pitched for ages 7 to 10, providing a comforting reminder that even when things feel like they are falling apart, new and 'awesome' connections are waiting to be discovered.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The book deals with social exclusion, bullying, and the changing dynamics of a sibling relationship. The approach is direct but very gentle. The resolution is realistic: things do not go back to exactly how they were, but Waylon finds a new, stable 'normal.' It is secular in tone.
