School Library Journal Starred Review (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

PreS-Gr 2 Sophie's grandfather lives in her house, and while his mobility is restricted, his tender feelings for his granddaughter know no bounds. He waves her off to school from his second-floor window, and she comes to visit him every afternoon. Their daily routine includes the man asking for the child's help in retrieving an everyday object that has somehow "gone missing." All of the items are in plain sight, if, that is, one knows where to look. Bright-eyed Sophie is always up for the challenge and is thorough and methodical as she searches through Grandpa's room—neat but chock-full of a busy lifetime of acquired books and mementos—to locate the paper clip, rubber band, straw, or paintbrush. Sharp-eyed viewers will glean that this man, now in a wheelchair, was once a soldier and an athlete and reads poetry and paints. The simple text is largely made up of the good-natured conversations that surround the game and reflect the warmth and joy that Sophie and Grandpa find in each other. Pinkney's lush and lovely watercolors are by turns delicate, energetic, and effusive as he captures his engaging African American characters and their homey domicile. VERDICT This appealing story about a dynamic intergenerational relationship is large enough to share with a group, but individual children will want to pore over the art to spot all of the details in plain sight.— Luann Toth , School Library Journal

ALA Booklist (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Jackson's second picture book (following Have a Look, Says Book, 2016) celebrates the joys of close observation. Sophie lives with her parents and wheelchair-bound grandfather. After school each day, Sophie and Grandpa engage in a game in which he challenges her to find an object hidden in plain sight. "I had me a paperclip, you know? Nice and shiny. Now it's vanished. Help me find it, will you, with your bright eyes?" Pinkney's signature pencil-and-watercolor artwork portrays a pleasantly cluttered room in a big-city brownstone, offering readers much to ponder as they search for a paperclip, a rubber band, a drinking straw, a paintbrush, and a lemon drop. The objects are moderately difficult (but not impossible) to spot, which should give readers ample time to thoroughly peruse the artistic details: books and newspapers, a stamp collection, photographs and mementos, and an ever-present cat ich all provide insight into the experiences of this loving, African American family. This makes a good one-on-one read-aloud for those not quite ready for Martin Handford's Where's Waldo? series.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

An African-American girl named Sophie shares a brownstone with her parents and her wheelchair-bound grandfather, -who lives by the window.- He-s always there to wave goodbye as she boards the school bus, and he-s waiting to play a special game of hide-and-seek when she returns: Grandpa pretends to have lost an object, and intrepid Sophie locates each one, hidden in plain sight. The everyday items-a paperclip, rubber band, lemon drop-are cleverly but not impossibly hidden in Pinkney-s signature pencil and watercolor illustrations. Readers will delight in scouring Grandpa-s pleasingly detailed bedroom, which brims with books, art, and an ever-present tabby, to find the missing items before Sophie does. But the best part of this collaboration between the longtime editor and the Caldecott Medalist is the playfulness that oozes from Jackson-s well-chosen words and the warmth of Pinkney-s artwork. There-s one thing that-s never missing from this gentle story about a special bond between the generations, and that-s the love Grandpa and Sophie have for each other. Ages 4-7. Illustrator-s agent: Sheldon Fogelman, Sheldon Fogelman Agency. (Sept.)