Be Kind & Go Wild

By Anna Pignataro

Reviewed by Mia Macrossan

Anna Pignataro is an artist and author/illustrator of over eighty books for children. The first picture book she illustrated, I’m In the Sky and I Can’t Come Back by Holly Young Huth, won the Crichton Award for Book Illustration in 1998. Many of her books have been shortlisted in Australia and overseas and have received Notable Book Commendations from the CBCA. 

Be Kind is short and charming, suggesting  the reader be kind, give a  smile, say thank you, help out, welcome new people and more. These are all significant skills a child needs to learn in order to relate comfortably and fully in its ever expanding world. The aim is to encourage empathy, awareness and inclusion of others.

Go Wild is different. It suggests that children occasionally let loose their inner ‘wild child’ and howl at the moon, stomp their feet, bang a drum (horrors!), squelch in the mud and more. In other words enjoy making a noise, letting go, expressing and exploring feelings without the usual restraints. This little book makes an important point –  toddlers whose lives are curtailed by many rules and restrictions should be able to let loose occasionally.

Anna’s illustrations are a delight. Soft colours and plenty of white space keep the focus on the children who are enjoying to the full expressing each suggestion. The design is simple and uncluttered with the format always the same – text on the left, illustration on the right.

Both board books are rich in images and ideas that will spark conversations while the figures and animals have a childlike appeal and simplicity which only a skilled artist can achieve.

Be Kind and Go Wild are the latest addition in the Wellness Books for Toddlers series that include Chill Out and Love Green.

Windy Hollow Books 2024

Anna Pignataro