We could not be more excited that famed Japanese author-illustrator, Taro Gomi (you know him, the author behind the widely popular Everyone Poops), recently released a new boxed set called Growing Together. We think it’s the perfect gift for a graduating preschooler who is “all grown up,” and ready to take on the world.
The set is intended for children ages 2–4 and includes four small books, each titled after a central task of childhood: Growing, Sharing, Imagining, and Exploring.
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Of course these developmental hurdles can be a challenge, especially cough sharing cough, but the series really does lend an air of celebration and fun to the duties of growing up. I especially loved how Exploring — which features a dad and son flying in space, careening on an electric scooter, and blasting off on a rocket ship — makes the task of leaving one’s comfort zone an exciting adventure, rather than a scary threat.
Like Everyone Poops, this series encourages kids to explore and reminds us all to laugh at our humanness, whether it’s the way our bodies get rid of food, or the way tiny humans grow into adults.
And the Growing Together books have such a wholesome sweetness and such bold, friendly illustrations, I think kids will definitely be reaching for them when picking out a bedtime story. Just hopefully not all four at once.
You can find Taro Gomi’s Growing Together series, as well as dozens of his other marvelous books, at our affiliate Amazon or at your local bookseller.
