By Cyrisse Jaffee

Three new books from Candlewick Press highlight the everyday lives of toddlers and their loved ones.

Our Pebbles by Jarvis. Candlewick Press, 2025

Put Your Shoes On by Polly Dunbar. Candlewick Press, 2025

Wednesday Is for Wiggling! by Eva Wong Nava. Illustrated by Holly Sterling. Candlewick Press, 2025

Parents and kids alike will relate immediately to the situation Josh and his mom find themselves in, as told in Put Your Shoes On. It’s time to go —and Josh needs to put on his shoes. But it’s so easy for Josh to get distracted. Each small toy he picks up leads to an imaginary scenario, filled with action and chaos. Meanwhile, his mom keeps trying to persuade him —gently at first — to hurry up. Soon, though, she loses her patience and, in big bold letters, demands that he complete the task. Finally, Josh puts on his shoes and mom apologizes for shouting. “I know you’re actually an expert at putting shoes on,” she tells him, “So I can’t imagine what took you so long.” They hug and all is well.

To conjure up Josh’s imaginings, the author has used real drawings by her son, Cody, who made them between ages three and six, as well as one drawing by her nine-year-old son, Sonny. Surprisingly, they work just fine, helped along by the more realistically drawn mother and son. Josh is an endearing toddler, and Mom is a sympathetic and realistic parent in a story that will have widespread appeal.

Another loving relationship is shown in Our Pebbles. Together, a little boy and his “silly old Grandad” go on adventures with “…a handful of sweets stuffed in our pockets. Boot laces tied.” They look for monsters in the “Wonky Woods” and wave at the train as it whooshes by. But the best part of the day by far takes place on Pebble Beach. “We went where footprints did not go. Where crabs hide out. Nobody knew the beach like us.”

Each time, they pick a favorite rock and bring it to an old boat, where they paint a memory of the day. But then Grandad moves away. Not surprisingly, the little boy misses him and all the things they did together. Luckily, his mom knows what to do. She takes him to Pebble Beach, where he picks a rock to bring to Grandad in his new home. As time goes on and the narrator grows older, he still finds it comforting to visit the beach, the boat, and the now-fading pictures of his past.

This is a book filled with charm, nostalgia, and deep-felt meaning. The colorful, sketch-like drawings are quirky, funny, and convey both the actions and feelings of the characters. Grown-ups may get a bit teary reading this aloud, but kids will enjoy the appealing characters and find it a warm and comforting read.

In Wednesday Is for Wiggling!, a little girl shares the people and experiences of a typical week in her life, filled with friends, family, and caretakers. On Monday she mopes because the weekend is over, Mom has to go to work, and she has to go to day care. But on Tuesday, her babysitter Mandy takes her to dance class after day care, which is fun. On Wednesday, it’s Mama’s day off, so they bake together, read books, and “cuddle … huggle … snuggle.” On Thursday, she’s back with her babysitter and they go to the library. On Friday, it’s “friends” day, because she is joined by her friend Ming along with her babysitter. On Saturday, she stays with Gramma and Grandpa. They work in the community garden, make paper cranes, and eat homemade Cao Fan (Chinese fried rice). Finally, she gets to spend Sunday with her Dad at the playground.

Kids whose parents are divorced, or parents who work many hours, will immediately understand the little girl’s routine. Luckily, she loves each day for different reasons, so the result is a cheerful and positive account. If it takes a village to raise a child, this little girl has the benefit of many loving and caring adults. As a lap read, the book might help spark a conversation with one child, but as a group read, it could inspire a good conversation about trusted adults in children’s lives.

Cyrisse Jaffee is a former children’s and YA librarian, children’s book editor, and a creator of educational materials for WGBH. She holds a master’s degree in Library Science from Simmons College and lives in Newton, MA.