When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left

by Marc Colagiovanni, Peter H. Reynolds (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Often times, word play gets dismissed. But Marc Colagiovanni's debut When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left has changed the game. Along with Peter Reynold's genius and iconic art, it's a 32 page guide to navigating life, whether you're heading into kindergarten or into the conference room to make a presentation. "One day for no particular reason, nothing was going right. Absolutely positively, nothing was going right. So, I decided to go left..." We are all looking for a little guidance and optimism. This book is for those who don't know how to ask for help yet, or are too afraid to ask.

Instant New York Times bestseller!

From #1 New York Times bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds and talented debut author Marc Colagiovanni comes an inspirational story about optimism, overcoming adversity, and forging your own path.

"One day for no particular reason, nothing was going right. Absolutely positively, nothing was going right. So, I decided to go left..."

Told through creative language play, and with depth and whimsy, this picture book reminds readers of their own agency and the power they have to direct their own path. Marc Colagiovanni’s lyrical text and Peter H. Reynolds's stunning art create an enduring message of strength and perseverance that is both universal and personal, and one that readers will be drawn to over and over again.

This first of two new picture books created in collaboration with Marc and Peter will inspire, affirm, and reassure readers at key milestone moments in every young reader's life. When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left makes an inspiring graduation gift as well as a must-have, uplifting read sure to bring positivity to all who read it and remind us that even when nothing is going right… we can always choose to go left.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338831184
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/07/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	12,230
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

PETER H. REYNOLDS is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many books for children, including Happy Dreamer, The Word Collector, Say Something!, Be You!, and Our Table. He is also the illustrator of When Thing Aren't Going Right, Go Left by Marc Colagiovanni. His books have been translated into over 25 languages around the globe and are celebrated worldwide. In 1996, he founded FableVision with his brother, Paul, as a social change agency to help create "stories that matter, stories that move." He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, with his family.

MARC COLAGIOVANNI is a children's book author who is currently a practicing attorney in the state of Rhode Island. While he is honored to be a part of the legal profession and enjoys the practice of law, his true passion is writing. He is the author of When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left and The Reflection in Me, both illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Marc was born, raised, and currently resides in Cranston, Rhode Island, with his wife and three daughters.

Editorial Reviews

04/24/2023

Resilience and optimism win the day—and the long game—in an encouraging fable about finding one’s way. One gloomy, rainy day, when “Absolutely, positively, NOTHING was going right,” a young protagonist loaded down with baggage opts for a course correction, explaining: “So... I decided to go left.” The child first leaves behind a crate full of worries—fiery red gremlins who yell, “Where are you going?” Further down the line, the protagonist sheds a sack of bellowing green doubts and approaches a diving board that brings back memories of a previous failed dive, where ditching more luggage eventually leads to exhilarating success. Heading home, the child’s gradually retrieved bags boast quieter contents that, Colagiovanni writes, “weren’t so hard to handle anymore.” Scenes rendered in Reynolds’s bold, loose lines introduce a protagonist with brown skin as well as a bird companion, who travel through pages with mottled backgrounds that moodily shift hue. It’s a straightforward take on managing emotions that’s just right for new grads. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left:

"Resilience and optimism win the day — and the long game — in an encouraging fable about finding one’s way." — Publishers Weekly

Praise for Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds:

An Amazon Best Children's Book of 2021

* "In Reynolds’ established tradition, this story is simple and full of heart, celebrating the wonder and possibility of being human and being in relationship... Sweet and timely for today’s families." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Reynolds tells the story simply and illustrates it expressively… A reminder of what really matters.” — Booklist, starred review

Praise for Be You! by Peter H. Reynolds:

"What is remarkable about the book is that even though the instructions and the brief sentences explaining them are at times vague, the illustrations expand on them in ways readers will find endearing and uplifting... Both beautiful and inspiring as graduation gift or guide to life." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Say Something! by Peter H. Reynolds:

"A motivational must-have for every collection." — School Library Journal

"This book's encouragement to kids to find their voices can also be used to start a conversation about how they can make a difference in their world." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds:

"Peter H. Reynolds always manages to walk a delicate line with his books — make that a couple lines: weighty but not weighed down. Universal yet kid-centric. No easy feat." — Travis Jonker, School Library Journal

"Capture[s] the beauty of words and the wonder of sharing them with others... enchanting." — Kirkus Reviews

"Packs a powerful punch... capture[s] both the joy of learning and the power of kindness." — School Library Journal

Praise for Happy Dreamer by Peter H. Reynolds:

"The message of acceptance and patience comes through clearly, and the exhortation to 'carve your own path' and 'show the world who you are' will be appreciated by anyone who has ever felt misunderstood." — Booklist

"Celebrates individuality, self-expression, and the joys of being a dreamer... a liberating validation of dreaming as restorative, comforting, and powerful, while giving kids full license to be themselves." — Publishers Weekly

"A sweet gift to praise spirited individuality, this choice encourages readers to dream big. Let those sparkles fly!" — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Our Table:

An Amazon Best Children's Book of 2021

* "In Reynolds’ established tradition, this story is simple and full of heart, celebrating the wonder and possibility of being human and being in relationship... Sweet and timely for today’s families." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Reynolds tells the story simply and illustrates it expressively… A reminder of what really matters.” — Booklist, starred review

Praise for Be You!:

"What is remarkable about the book is that even though the instructions and the brief sentences explaining them are at times vague, the illustrations expand on them in ways readers will find endearing and uplifting... Both beautiful and inspiring as graduation gift or guide to life." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Say Something!:

"A motivational must-have for every collection." — School Library Journal

"This book's encouragement to kids to find their voices can also be used to start a conversation about how they can make a difference in their world." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Word Collector:

"Peter H. Reynolds always manages to walk a delicate line with his books — make that a couple lines: weighty but not weighed down. Universal yet kid-centric. No easy feat." — Travis Jonker, School Library Journal

"Capture[s] the beauty of words and the wonder of sharing them with others... enchanting." — Kirkus Reviews

"Packs a powerful punch... capture[s] both the joy of learning and the power of kindness." — School Library Journal

Praise for Happy Dreamer:

"The message of acceptance and patience comes through clearly, and the exhortation to 'carve your own path' and 'show the world who you are' will be appreciated by anyone who has ever felt misunderstood." — Booklist

"Celebrates individuality, self-expression, and the joys of being a dreamer... a liberating validation of dreaming as restorative, comforting, and powerful, while giving kids full license to be themselves." — Publishers Weekly

"A sweet gift to praise spirited individuality, this choice encourages readers to dream big. Let those sparkles fly!" — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Ish:

* "Ish... encourages readers to see the world anew." — School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for The Dot:

* "Simplicity itself, like the dot in the title, this small book carries a big message." — Booklist, starred review

* "In this engaging, inspiring tale, Reynolds (illustrator of the Judy Moody series) demonstrates the power of a little encouragement... Reynolds pulls off exactly what his young heroine does, creating an impressive work from deceptively simple beginnings." — Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "With art that seems perfectly suited to the mood and the message of the text, Reynolds inspires with a gentle and generous mantra: 'Just make a mark.'" — School Library Journal, starred review

"It may speak to formerly artistic young readers who are selling their own abilities short." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/01/2023

K-Gr 3—Colagiovanni's affable journey will make children into orators: "When life's burdens start to feel too heavy… don't be afraid to put them down for a while." When nothing is going right for the main character, he decides to go left. Along the way he leaves behind his worries, doubts, fears, and frustrations. The more he leaves behind, the lighter and more confident he feels, taking on a high-dive challenge and finding that he can carry those old worries and doubts but he won't let them best him. Reynolds's iconic style features bold lines and clear images, all finished off in soft watercolors. The look of handwritten messages across the pages tells children just which words to emphasize and which ones to whisper, making this a perfect book for practicing read-aloud skills. VERDICT Although the message is simple, it's solid, and the collaborators give it appeal for all ages needing an inspiring story of strength, confidence, and perseverance.—Heidi Dechief

School Library Journal

2022-12-24
A simple strategy for lightening the weight of worries, doubts, fears, and frustrations.

For all that Reynolds depicts a young child (brown-skinned, with Afro-textured hair) walking along a road shedding bags and other luggage in the simply drawn illustrations, Colagiovanni’s allegorical wordplay seems addressed more to audiences that are old enough to see their lives in abstract terms. “One day, for no particular reason, nothing was going right. Absolutely, positively, NOTHING was going right. So…I decided to go left.” The decision alone allows a box full of worries—depicted as small, red monsters—to be left behind…followed by a bag of hairy green doubts and, at the bottom of a high-diving platform, both a suitcase of jagged orange fears and a backpack of beaky yellow frustrations yelling, “You can’t do it!” and “Give up already!” But after taking the plunge and suddenly realizing that going left eventually made everything go right, the narrator discovers that all the embodied bugaboos have shrunk so much that it’s easy to take them up again. Though it wraps up a bit neatly, those grappling with their own anxieties may find Colagiovanni’s words of wisdom useful. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A little easy-peasy but not bad advice. (Picture book. 6-11)

Kirkus Reviews