We Go Slow
by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie; illus. by Aaron Becker
Primary    Atheneum    32 pp.
8/25    9781665950602    $19.99

Once the rest of the family has rushed out the door, the young narrator and caregiver (possibly a grandfather) spend their day slowly wandering city streets noticing and appreciating the small details of each moment. “Mornings are soft / laughter, fresh bread, / nutmeg & coffee smells.” The child, sporting sneakers and braids with beads, and the adult, with his formal slacks, V-neck sweater, and hat, head out of the house for an early-fall ramble. Tallie’s (Layla’s Happiness) poetic text celebrates the textured details of an urban neighborhood and the pleasure of sharing those details with someone else. “We hear hope unfold / over steaming cups of chai, / in the call of a vendor, / in thump thump thumping songs from cars passing by.” Becker (The Last Zookeeper, rev. 1/24) uses a loose, almost sketchlike style in his watercolor and colored-pencil drawings. Double-page spreads depict a diverse, busy neighborhood. Folks paint a mural on a wall, play guitar in the park, and sell everything from clothing to mango with chili and lime. On other pages, vignettes bring the reader close to specific details, such as sneakers hanging on electric wires or a weed poking up next to a tree. The palette, heavy on mauves and soft shades of blue, conveys the warmth and safety of the small, shared adventure.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.