Fred Small

Fred Small hits it out of the park with this one. This heartwarming story is everything a picture book for children should be and one that every child should read or have read to them. Themes include love, friendship, inclusion, and identity.

My five year old read this book to me, and completely understood the message to children that the author was trying to convey.

There is also a song included with the story that can be accessed with a provided QR code.

I am so blessed to have this book show more in my collection. I can only hope that more children's books can be created just like this, to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren. show less

Ahh, what a lovely song turned into a lovely book! If you're not already familiar with Fred Small's touching lullaby that celebrates the many ways to love and to be yourself in the world, definitely look it up and take a listen! Or better yet, pick up a copy of this beautiful picture book and scan the QR code in the back to hear a brand new recording he created for the book's release.

Note that the second verse has been slightly rewritten for greater inclusivity (replacing the binary of show more boys/girls with "children" and adding that -- in addition to "some women love women" and "some men love men" -- there are also some who "leave every label behind"). Yes, it will take my ear a few listens to get used to these changes, but it's 1000% worth it to be inclusive of the gender diversity that just wasn't part of our vocabulary when the song was first written in the 1980s.

Affirming messages that every kid needs to hear, paired with beautiful and diverse illustrations? What's not to love! show less

Oh, this story, the song, and illustrations gave me goosebumps! If I had to get really picky, I could point out that it technically should be “love whomever you will” and not “whoever,” but I loved the rest of it so much that I’ll actually let that go for once (which should say quite a bit). Sing stories are always a hit with me, so bravo!

Lovely children's book that tells children they can be whoever they want to be and they can love whoever they want to love. The book features beautiful illustrations by Alison Brown. Diverse characters are represented in the illustrations.