Higher! Higher!

By Leslie Patricelli
Published March 24, 2009

Why we chose this book:
Yesterday morning at our Worcester Family Partnership playgroup, we had an amazing and fun guest! David from The Eric Carle Museum led the kids in songs, games, and art, and he read several stories. At the end, each family received a copy of Higher! Higher!, which David had already engaged the children in reading. T paged through his new copy on the way home, telling me what he liked. So, why did we choose this book? We didn't choose to read it that intial time, but T had a lot to say about it, and I wanted to share his (any my) thoughts about it, and send a big "Thank you!" toward WFP and The Eric Carle Museum.

Mom's Review

A little girl flies so high on a swing that she meets an alien in space.

In this darling picture book of few words, what is likely a common childhood fantasy is lived out. The little girl's daddy pushes her on the swing at a park, she constantly cries out, "Higher! Higher!" and higher she goes, all the way to space. Each two-page spread page depicts something tall in the foreground and something even higher in the background (example: giraffe and skyscraper). The illustrations and few words together pave the way for discussion, and that is the true value in this book. It's so easy to speculate about how high she could go or what she might she pass next. It's equally easy to take the discussion in a personal direction, hypothesizing what we would do if we passed a giraffe, a mountain climber, an airplane. Repetition makes it easy for the child to read along. T was reading me the book after I had read it to him a few times, and he was delighted to be able to do so! All in all, Higher! Higher! is a fun, easy way to engage one's child in reading and conversation. Oh, and it prompted a park visit in which T wanted to swing higher on the swings that he has in a long time.

Son's Review
(age 3)

Son: I like the alien who's smiling! Do you think he is cute?

Mom: I do. Do you? What would you do if you met an alien?

Son: Yeah. I would kiss the alien.

Mom: You know what it reminds me of? The little green aliens from Toy Story. But they're not quite the same, are they? How many eyes does the one in your book have?

Son: Why? One eye.

Mom: And what about in Toy Story? 

Son: Threeeeeee.

Mom: Can you find your favorite page?

Son: Where the alien...where they meet each other.

Mom: I think we should go to the park. What do you think? I could push you high like the little girl's daddy pushes her.

Son: Yes. And sit in the enclosure and push me real fast! Just like her daddy did it to her.
(T is referring to the enclosed swing.)

Mom: We'll do it! Do you think we'll see any aliens?

Son: I'd like to meet one, but they aren't real.

Mom: Could we pretend?

Son: We should not.

Mom: What do you think you might see from the swing?

Son: I might see a playground.

Mom: Do you think we might see a giraffe?

Son: No. Giraffes are at the zoo.
(Well, T, no aliens and no giraffes. Way to just shut me down. Humph.)

T yelling "Higher! Higher!"

High Five! Just like in the book!

Almost as high as the airplane!