Just What to Do

Illustrated by Hala Tahboub
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$18.99 US
Penguin Young Readers | Dial Books
24 per carton
On sale Jul 16, 2024 | 978-0-593-46294-2
Age 3-7 years
Reading Level: Lexile AD410L
Sales rights: World
A tender picture book about grief and the many ways to offer comfort in sad times, from Newbery Honor-winner Kyle Lukoff.

When you see someone sad, it's only natural to want to cheer them up. But how? Some people like hugs but others don't. Sometimes a  joke is more comforting than a card. How can you do the just-right-thing if you don't know what it is? 

With its spare, poignant text and unexpectedly levitous illustrations, Just What to Do offers an important lesson about how to offer comfort to loved ones by setting aside your assumptions and following their lead.
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★ "Handling death and grief in a gentle and tender manner, Lukoff’s newest picture book explores the innate need many of us have to fix the problems of the ones we love the most...[This is] a beautiful story that should be sitting on the shelves of school counselors and child therapists everywhere." – School Library Journal, starred review

“Both Newbery Honoree Lukoff’s text and Tahboub’s illustrations convey a stillness that will make this often-difficult topic comprehensible to a young audience…This book is the perfect complement to Cori Doerrfeld’s The Rabbit Listened.” – Kirkus

About

A tender picture book about grief and the many ways to offer comfort in sad times, from Newbery Honor-winner Kyle Lukoff.

When you see someone sad, it's only natural to want to cheer them up. But how? Some people like hugs but others don't. Sometimes a  joke is more comforting than a card. How can you do the just-right-thing if you don't know what it is? 

With its spare, poignant text and unexpectedly levitous illustrations, Just What to Do offers an important lesson about how to offer comfort to loved ones by setting aside your assumptions and following their lead.

Photos

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Praise

★ "Handling death and grief in a gentle and tender manner, Lukoff’s newest picture book explores the innate need many of us have to fix the problems of the ones we love the most...[This is] a beautiful story that should be sitting on the shelves of school counselors and child therapists everywhere." – School Library Journal, starred review

“Both Newbery Honoree Lukoff’s text and Tahboub’s illustrations convey a stillness that will make this often-difficult topic comprehensible to a young audience…This book is the perfect complement to Cori Doerrfeld’s The Rabbit Listened.” – Kirkus