Big Boys Cry by Jonty Howley
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on June 11th 2019
ISBN: 1524773204
Pages: 40
Goodreads

A lovely story about learning and leading by example. Levi is starting at a new school and he admits to his Papa that he is scared. His father is not sure what to say, so he says’ “Big boys don’t cry.” This advice is taken to heart by Levi, but on his walk to school, he says many “big boys” crying for myriad reasons. His first day of school is not so bad and his return walk finds him again confronted with many men who now feel better having shed their tears. Upon his return, he is greeted by his father, who has tears in his own eyes because as he admits, “It was your first day at a new school, and I was scared.” In the end, Levi sees that it is natural and healthy to feel what you feel and to release your emotions in order to deal with them and feel better. This will be a wonderful book for teachers, guidance counselors, and parents to use in the new paradigm for boys where our society lets them not only feel, but express their emotions. Gorgeous, over-sized pages with a nautical theme and a sharp, clear palette of greens, blues, and tans accompany the story perfectly. This will circulate in any picture book collection.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth