Towed by Toad

When adults in the kidlit world review newly released children’s literature or in-the-pipeline DRCs, we try to look at books from the lens of a child. We make informed assumptions about what the little ones are likely to gravitate towards, what might catch their fancy. When the book eventually earns one of the coveted stickers, it feels like a quiet validation of our instinct in predicting the little human’s choice.

But the real validation comes from how often the book is picked up by the mini readers that it is meant for and by this yardstick, Jashar Awan’s “Towed by Toad” is a thoroughly kid-approved winner! I picked it up from the “just returned” trolley at the public library: many pages mended, once-crisp pages now well-thumbed, the jacket’s edges gentled by many readings.

And yet the charm of Toad remains, ever ready to help, as the book passes from hand to eager hand, with no time to stop. That, surely, is the mark of a true winner!