Yay!

Via emphatic lines that celebrate the everyday efforts fueling accomplishments big and small, Kulekjian and González Hoang cheer readers on in this jubilant picture book. Artwork—a clean-edged naif mix of colored pencil, gouache, and digital techniques—adds a narrative element through lively depictions of kids putting themselves out there. On one page, a child using forearm crutches hikes with a caregiver: “When extra steps/ add up to extra miles/ and nothing stops you.// YAY!” Elsewhere, two youths wearing lab coats handle colored liquids in a chemistry flask, resulting in a rainbow explosion: “Always, there are surprises.// YAY!” While many of the featured activities involve physical movement, inclusion of a board game touches on winning and losing, a baking scene gestures toward experimentation, and opening and closing moments embrace academic firsts and lasts. Poised to offer big encouragement, the creators’ rallying takeaway resounds: YAY! Characters are portrayed with various abilities, body types, and skin tones. Ages 3–6. (Apr.)