Going Up!

February 10, 2020
The enticing opening spread of Lee’s debut, featuring a clever vertical format, showcases an invitation to a birthday party for Olive, to be held in the “10th floor party room.” After arranging cookies on a platter, Sophie and her father, both brown-skinned, leave their first-floor apartment and push the elevator button, galvanizing a jolly journey upward. Spirits run high—and the elevator becomes increasingly and comically crowded—as it stops at each floor and an affable, multicultural group of neighbors joins the two. The fun is supplied by Chua’s (Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao) mixed-media, crayon-hued pictures of festively attired party guests, who include the tattooed Santucci brothers; Mr. and Mrs. Habib and their two grandchildren, dressed as superheroes and holding a bowl of gulab jamun; and the six-member Flores family, all (save the baby) wearing their dancing shoes. On the top floor, a double gatefold opens to reveal the invitees eagerly pouring out of the elevator—and the guest of honor’s identity. An added diversion is watching a ready-to-party feline sneaking in and out of the revelry. Ages 3–7. Illustrator’s agent: Tracy Marchini, BookEnds Literary.

April 1, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-Sophie and her dad are invited to a birthday party on the 10th floor of their building. After making their favorite cookies to bring along, they hop into the elevator on the first floor. Doors open and close, punctuated by "Going up!" as more neighbors join them, until the increasingly cramped conveyance spills out the merry crowd at the very top, revealing a surprise for readers. Chua's exuberant mixed-media illustrations depict a delightful array of guests of all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities, from the tough, tattooed brothers Santucci to the primly suited Vi Tweedle and the dancing Flores family. VERDICT A celebration of diversity and a lively portrayal of neighborly conviviality at its best, this story will put readers in a party mood, wherever they live.-Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
A young girl and her father join a building full of neighbors for a special party on the 10th floor. Sophie, a black girl with two puffs and fashion sense, is invited to Olive's birthday party. After baking their favorite cookies, she and her father go out to catch the elevator up. The elevator stops on every floor, collecting quite a diverse crowd as it goes. The Santucci brothers, white biker types dressed in black and covered in cat-themed tattoos, get on on the second floor. On the third, Vicky and Babs, a same-sex interracial couple, join with their dog. Then there are the South Asian family, the Habibs, holding gulab jamun; Mr. Kwan, an Asian man holding a cactus; the Latinx Flores family; and more singles and couples before they finally reach the 10th floor and spill out of the elevator in a pullout spread on which the crowd is the main attraction while the guest of honor sits on a dog bed. The excitement of a party and the momentum of a friendly, growing crowd are a fun container for this thoughtfully inclusive story of friendship and respect across differences. Chua's art uses colored pencil and watercolor to create childlike images that vibrate with anticipation and energy. The text stays fully grounded in Sophie's young voice. This is a party that kids will want to join. (Picture book. 3-8)

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March 15, 2020
Preschool-G A jubilee of a book, this celebrates the joy found in sharing special days with a community of people from all walks of life. The story begins with Sophie and Leonard, a child of color and her father, as they prepare treats for Olive's birthday party on the tenth floor of an apartment building. The elevator whisking them to the party upstairs stops on every floor as a diverse cast of neighbors board, each bearing a gift for the birthday girl, while the straightforward text introduces them with a refrain of Going up! Once the elevator finally reaches its destination, two fold-out pages reveal the surprise guest of honor. Adding to the fun, the digitally manipulated watercolor, watercolor ink, and colored-pencil illustrations provide hilarious nonverbal story cues that add to the tale's rereading value (especially a mischievous cat that sharp-eyed readers will spot causing trouble on page one). Recommended for children's collections and storytimes about counting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)