Just in Case You Want to Fly

July 8, 2019
This bubbly excursion by the team behind When’s My Birthday? celebrates parents’ impulse to give their children the world: “Just in case you want to fly/ here’s some wind/ and here’s the sky.” Children of all ages and ethnicities play and explore as the narration promises to supply all the beloved might need. Cheery rhythm and singing rhyme ask to be read aloud: “here’s a rock to skip and a coin to wish/ and a fork/ and a spoon/ and a cup/ and a dish.” Robinson’s simple angular figures champion the low-key and the handmade (a cityscape with tall buildings and low vehicles resembles paper cutouts). The verse and images follow a bedtime trajectory (“here’s a pillow/ and here’s a song/ for when you go to bed”) but contain enough energy to be read anytime: “and here is a map/ with an x on the spot/ to find your way/ home to me.” Robinson extends classic picture book scenes of play and home life to show all sorts of children finding magic in all kinds of places. Ages 3–7.