"My mom says
eat your sandwich
it will make you grow up tall"
What??? It's Jon Klassen again, and I am delighted to share this new book with you. I am often teased about my lack of knowledge when it comes to the music of the 80s. The way I explain it is to say that we had young kids then, and were listening to Sharon, Lois, and Bram, Raffi, and Fred Penner. This favorite song from Raffi will be added to my growing pile of new books for 'our' April baby.
It is not unusual for little ones to wonder if they are growing. They can't see it, while their parents assure them that they are changing every day. In this song, Raffi offers reassurance that growth is happening in a song that speaks to the passage of time, and the knowledge that the child can do things now that he could not do in the past. The repetitive text encourages those sharing the book to sing it first together, and then alone as the words become more familiar.
Jon Klassen's visual interpretation of these words is classic. Views of the wondering child show him from one page to the next looking pretty much the same. Readers can only see his eyes and the top of his head as he explains that he is being told he is growing, but sees little evidence of it. On the day he can reach the bathroom taps for the very first time, he is very pleased with himself and willing to admit that his mother is right ... he is growing! As the scenes repeat and he can finally see more of his face, he no longer worries. As happens when Jon Klassen interprets text through the eyes of a child, he is dead on with his illustrations. It's perfectly paced to show the passage of time that drags on for little ones.
Emotional and reassuring, you will want to read it on repeat.
To help, here's the song from Molly Whuppie:
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