Learning a new skill can be daunting at any age, and getting tripped up in the middle of building experience can be frustrating. However, there are a few strategies to deal with these types of setbacks, something delightfully explored in Loops, the latest picture book by Caldecott Honoree Jashar Awan!

As the child protagonist shows the audience how to tie their new pair of big-kid shoes, they note that learning to tie the shoes hasn’t been easy, and even after getting it right, it can take a few tries the next time around. However, it helps for the kid to remember that learning to be a big kid takes time, and that they’ve already conquered previous big-kid activities (like using the swings without a push)! A marvelously meta ending then encourages readers that mastery comes with practice, patience, and self-confidence.

We absolutely adored this one, and I can’t recommend it enough for young readers tackling their own big-kid developments. With a positively charming main character and a timeless message, Loops is a simple delight of a picture book that acts as an instruction manual for both shoe-tying and life.

Big thanks to SimonKIDS for sending us a copy of this book!