The Magical Yet

by Angela DiTerlizzi, Lorena Alvarez Gómez (Illustrator)

Overview

A rollicking, rhyming, and inspirational picture book for fans of Oh, the Places You'll Go! andevery child who is frustrated by what they can't do...YET!

Each of us, from the day we're born, is accompanied by a special companion—the Yet. Can't tie your shoes? Yet! Can't ride a bike? Yet! Can't play the bassoon? Don't worry, Yet is there to help you out.

The Magical Yet is the perfect tool for parents and educators to turn a negative into a positive when helping children cope with the inevitable difficult learning moments we all face. Whether a child or an adult, this encouraging and uplifting book reminds us that we all have things we haven't learned...yet!
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368025621
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Series:	The Magical Yet , #1
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	10,645
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Angela Diterlizzi never forgets her Magical Yet, especially when she wrote more than ten drafts to get this book just right. She's written other books, too, including companion book The Curious Why, Just Add Glitter, Some Bugs, Some Pets, and Baby Love. She lives with her husband, best-selling author-illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi, and their daughter in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Lorena AlvarezGómez was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, and studied graphic design at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She has illustrated for children's books (including the Carmen series by Anika Denise and Nightlights, a comic book that Lorena also wrote), independent publications, advertising, and fashion magazines. Since 2008, she has been part of La Procesión Puppet Club, an experimental puppetry group of illustrators and visual artists.

Editorial Reviews

02/10/2020

Uplifting verse by DiTerlizzi (Just Add Glitter) takes its cue from the popular “growth mindset” educational movement, which encourages kids to see failure as a temporary setback instead of the final verdict. Digital vignettes by Alvarez (Starring Carmen!) follow a brown-skinned girl learning to ride a bicycle: “Then, when you thought you were on the right track,/ you popped a wheelie and fell on your back.” She walks the bike home, scowling. “No riding for you,” DiTerlizzi writes, voicing the girl’s discouragement, “you’ll walk... forever.” A burst of fuchsia light appears: it’s the Magical Yet, a flying sprite with delicate, flowerlike petals who “finds a way,/ even when you don’t.” Metered verse describes children overcoming blunders (“Yet doesn’t mind... fixes, and flops”), which Alvarez illustrates with crisp-edged, animation-style images: one child becomes a ballet dancer, another completes an ambitious painting after a sloppy paint spill. With splashy artwork and catchy rhymes, the creators give families and educators a tool that spurs kids on to success. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, the Bright Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A USA Today Bestseller

An Illinois Monarch Award Master List Book

Praise for The Magical Yet:
“When children are old enough to do things on their own but are frustrated because they struggle with their nascent abilities, this enchanting picture book introduces them to their limitless potential by way of Yet, that oh-so-important word that encourages them to have patience with themselves as they continue to keep trying.” —Lacey Vorrasi-Banis, Entertainment Weekly

“Oh, I love this one! This is a book about resiliency and how you might not be good at something... yet. The Magical Yet is by your side helping you as you learn and grow. The adorable illustrations feature a diverse group of children, but everyone will be able to see a little of themselves in this book because of the topic.”

—Kathleen Shea-Porter, Buzzfeed

"With splashy artwork and catchy rhymes, the creators give families and educators a tool that spurs kids on to success."—Publishers Weekly

"The depictions of difficult situations, such as learning to ride a bike, learning to dance, or practicing painting, are sure to strike a chord with children struggling to pick up something new, and the positive outcomes brought on by practice and perseverance are sure to inspire readers to never give up. A lovely addition to picture-book collections."—Booklist

"The artwork is powerful and detailed....A solid if message-driven conversation starter about the hard parts of learning."—Kirkus Reviews

"This rhyming, motivational picture book tackles the lesson of perseverance. It promotes trying new things and letting yourself fail along the way. With bright colorful, illustrations and an inspirational message, this 2021 picture book is a great substitute for Dr. Seuss’s popular Oh, the Places You’ll Go!"—Bookriot

From the Publisher

04/01/2020

PreS-Gr 1—A child with brown skin and curly brown hair stands sadly in the rain next to a bike with a crumpled front wheel, then picks up the bike and starts riding. On the way, the child discovers a small glowing orb that blooms into an adorable flowery creature, the titular Magical Yet! The text explains that everyone has a Yet, a helpful reminder to keep striving, whatever their goal may be. With the Yet's encouragement, the young child repairs the bike and tries the hill again, this time riding triumphantly off into the sunset. DiTerlizzi's rhyming text flows crisply across each page, and the creative wordplay employs parentheses, colons, and ellipses to help create a dramatic and musical reading. Bright, geometric, illustrations with a warm and rich color palette show an incredibly diverse set of young enthusiasts painting, playing, and creating in all sorts of media. Special attention is given to a young male dancer, who is then shown as an adult soaring gracefully across the page. Thoughtful details abound, such as on the final pages where we see the main character, now grown, surrounded by pictures of bike journeys taken in far-off lands, bike blueprints, designs, and awards. VERDICT An inclusive and joyful addition to most libraries.—Laken Hottle, Providence Community Library

School Library Journal

2019-12-08
Children realize their dreams one step at a time in this story about growth mindset.

A child crashes and damages a new bicycle on a dark, rainy day. Attempting a wheelie, the novice cyclist falls onto the sidewalk, grimacing, and, having internalized this setback as failure, vows to never ride again but to "walk…forever." Then the unnamed protagonist happens upon a glowing orb in the forest, a "thought rearranger-er"—a luminous pink fairy called the Magical Yet. This Yet reminds the child of past accomplishments and encourages perseverance. The second-person rhyming couplets remind readers that mistakes are part of learning and that with patience and effort, children can achieve. Readers see the protagonist learn to ride the bike before a flash-forward shows the child as a capable college graduate confidently designing a sleek new bike. This book shines with diversity: racial, ethnic, ability, and gender. The gender-indeterminate protagonist has light brown skin and exuberant curly locks; Amid the bustling secondary cast, one child uses a prosthesis, and another wears hijab. At no point in the text is the Yet defined as a metaphor for a growth mindset; adults reading with younger children will likely need to clarify this abstract lesson. The artwork is powerful and detailed—pay special attention to the endpapers that progress to show the Yet at work.

A solid if message-driven conversation starter about the hard parts of learning. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews