Some picture books are moving. Some picture books are useful: they teach everything from letters to science. In some cases, like julie fogliano’s 2026 picture book because of a shoe, picture books are both.
because of a shoe tells the story of a tantrum, which is set of by a shoe, but which then takes on a life of its own. The book’s text sprawls on, even lurches on, fitting the uneven rhythm of the toddler tantrum perfectly. marla frazee’s art does the same: its curves, swirls, sprawls, and unbalanced figures will be familiar to anyone who’s lived through a tantrum. Or a thousand.
And the book is moving because the toddler’s frustration boils off the page…but so does the mother’s love, which is present and palpable throughout.
