Loops is a new (2026) picture book by Jashwar Awan. I picked it up because I enjoyed the focus and images in Every Monday Mabel.
The images in Loops are just as engaging. Awan really captures the energy of little kids, and their common postures: any parent who reads this book will immediately recognize the moods and actions here.
I have to be honest: I respect Loops, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Every Monday Mabel. The main reason will likely be a positive for some readers: this book is more purposeful and didactic. Loops is about a small kid learning to tie their shoelaces, often losing the not fully tied shoes, and learning about learning in the process.
The loops that give the book its title are first, of course, the loops made with the laces. However, the main character swings on the swings, and talks about improving that skill in a learning loop (not in those words, of course, as the book’s language is very simple). The kid also misplaces their shoe, and has to loop back to “the BEGINNING OF THE BOOK.”
This is a good learning and transition book. There’s limited story, and the focus on younger skills may limit its audience, but what Awan does, he does very well.
