I Walk with Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 7, 2018

Review

Beautiful ink and watercolor illustration form this wordless picture book by husband and wife team S�bastian Cosset and Marie Pommepuy, known collectively as Kerasco�t. Vanessa, a girl with brown skin and dark curly hair, is new at school. During her first day, she is isolated from the class and, at the end of the day, a brash boy with blond hair teases her. She goes home sad. The exchanged is observed by another girl with tan skin and straight dark hair wearing a yellow dress. The girl in the yellow dress shares what she saw with her group of friends, but no one quite knows what to do, so she goes home, her melancholy mood persisting until the morning. Then, she has an idea. The girl in the yellow dress greets Vanessa when she comes out of her house and walks with her to school. Different kids join in as they make their way there until a huge group of happy diverse children arrive at the front door of school--no bully in sight. Kerasco�t bring this story to life with charming simplistic drawings of each of the children, backed by a gorgeous watercolor scene that fades to monochromatic blue with the characters' moods and brightens back up to cheerful colors as the solution is found. The book ends with a note to children about what they can do for a child who is being bullied and a note to adults about helpful language to use to discuss the problem. A recommended purchase for all libraries.

Overall Book Score: excellent