Smile, Sophia

PreS-Gr 2–Budding paleontologist Sophia is serious about digging for dinosaurs. Very serious. So serious she hardly ever smiles, which is a concern for the adults around her. But Sophia has no reason to smile. She’s not mad. She’s not upset. She’s just serious, and only wants to smile when she feels like it. “There’s no correlation between smiling and finding dinosaurs!” Digging for dinosaurs makes her very happy. Just not smile-y. And despite their cajoling—“Smile for the camera! Welcome the audience with a smile!”—Sophia will not smile just because adults want her to. “I’ll smile when I have something worth smiling about!” she exclaims. Boldly colored illustrations bring rich visuals to the story. Although the idea that children should be honest about their feelings is completely gender neutral, the adult topic of gender-based harassment, nodding to the “Stop Telling Women to Smile” movement, is handled with perfect age-appropriateness. Spoiler alert: Sophia does smile. But only for herself!