An adorable little book about finding your own voice. ( )

My grandson adored this book. He "stole" it from my house so he could read it any time he wants at home.

"Have you ever heard an Echo?
Maybe you have.
But have you ever seen an Echo?"

Bright yellow, big-eared, cave-dwelling Little Echo is shy and lonely. When a little boy named Max comes to explore the cave and find treasure, Little Echo follows him, and uses her own voice for the first time to warn him of danger. After that they become friends, talking and listening to each other and playing games. (Implied: their friendship is the true treasure.) Extra tall trim size and beautiful (gouache?) paintings with yellows that seem to glow against the deep black and blue cave setting.

See also: Petra by Marianna Coppo, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen ( )

Little Echo is an adorable cave-dwelling creature who can only repeat sounds she hears. Over the course of the story, she discovers her own voice and makes a new friend as a result.

The illustrations are vibrant and engaging; I particularly love the expressive depictions of all the echoing sounds. The text is less compelling, with a plot that feels like well-trodden territory - someone quiet rising to the occasion and finding their voice when needed to save the day, and then a search for treasure only to find that the real treasure is the friends we made along the way.

As a side note, I'm not sure if Little Echo's story was intended to be a metaphor for echolalia, but I can certainly see parallels. At first "all she could do was echo", but midway through the book she is "ready to say her very own words" for "the first time in her life". After finding her voice, she is able to make a new friend and tell him "the secret things she had always wanted to say." If this was the intent, I'm not sure that I'm particularly on board with the implication that echolalic kids are unable to have meaningful relationships and are doomed to loneliness until they are "brave" enough to speak their own words. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

However, there is a phrase that appears several times in the book that is more overtly concerning: "Little Echo gulped twice and pinched herself to be brave..." Since when is pinching yourself a coping skill we want to model for young kids? I know it's just supposed to be a quirky habit of a shy fictional creature, but a story like this conveys social-emotional messages whether they're intended or not.

Overall, a visually appealing book with a story that is unfortunately lacking. ( )

What child hasn’t been fascinated with the idea of an echo? Al Rodin has written a light hearted book where an Echo can actually be seen and like many kids was scared on his own echo. Echo and treasure seeking Max meet in a cave and overcome shyness on their search for treasure. And with a perfect ending, they enjoy their time together so much, they forget all about the treasure. I received my copy through LibraryThing’s reviewer program. ( )