Smith, Lane. Recess. Lane Smith, Illus. Abrams, 07/2025. [36]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.99. 978-1-4197-7689-2. GRADES Preschool–3. OUTSTANDING.
Sometimes children need a break from school, even when it is not time for recess, and this book offers a solution – a quick and temporary emergency recess! The narrator urges listeners to follow the instructions every time they yell “Recess!,” — for example, to shake their hands and legs, yell out “Bananas!” or quack like a duck — then quickly go back to their seats. The text alternates from the boredom of school to these recess breaks every other page, and the artwork also alternates from cool, drab colors during a lesson, to wild, bright colors during the breaks. Listeners can follow along with the actions, making for an uproarious interactive storytime or classroom read-aloud experience. The full-color artwork uses oils, colored pencil, and other media to depict surreal characters and settings that convey the energetic action. The book design also facilitates the story using repeated texts in large fonts, and a variety of colors. Sure to be as popular as B.J. Novak’s The Book with No Pictures (Dial, 2014).
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool