Just Right

A child navigates relationships that feel “just right” in this reassuring picture book that foregrounds dynamics difficult and easeful. At a store, young Toby contemplates gifts for Dad and Uncle—though the child readily chooses a pair of socks for Uncle, stress accompanies selecting a pair for Dad, who’s “hard to please.” And Toby’s concerns appear regrettably prescient when Dad “barely looks” at the present. Comforted by Ma that “if a person ain’t right, they won’t make you feel right,” the child heads to Uncle’s auto garage, along the way noticing instances of neighborhood disrepair that similarly don’t “feel right.” In contrast, the employees at El Tio Auto Repair immediately display a positive caring energy, and the protagonist notes the way Uncle proves a consistent, outwardly affectionate presence. Martínez’s slick digital cartoons emphasize Toby’s contrasting emotional experiences, and while Maldonado’s emphasis on feeling “right” is never defined, it’s a concept poised to offer readers a pathway toward self-attunement. Most characters are portrayed with brown skin. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)