No Matter What

August 15, 2020
A little red squirrel acts out in various failed foster-care placements until finding unconditional love. Lead author Shipp, a former foster child himself, names his squirrel protagonist after himself and depicts little Josh as a foundling. Grace the heron spots him by a river with a note that reads, in part, "Please help him find a new home," an unlikely real-world scenario for a child entering the system. Undistinguished, stiff art fails to elevate the text as Grace places Josh in turn with pelican, porcupine, and kangaroo families he rejects. Mr. Kangaroo says Josh needs a family to teach him about "trees and climbing." Grace finds a leopard family that terrifies Josh in the most effective illustration in the book, and he resolves to "crack them before they crack me." Mischief ensues, and Josh similarly sabotages future placements with other species. Finally, "very large and very patient" elephants show Josh unconditional love, and he accepts their affection and care--but only after they and the other animals rescue him from drowning. While messages about the necessity of patience and loving care for traumatized children are crucial, this odd representation of foster parents (failed and otherwise) literally acting as saviors compounds the story's missteps. Odder still is that foster care is never positioned as a temporary state with potential for biological family reunification, nor is adoption named as a possible outcome. Not a strong addition to a needed theme. (Picture book. 4-7)

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