New Socks
Written and illustrated by Bob Shea
Little, Brown Young Readers; $12.99
40 pp.; ISBN-13: 978-0316013574

Review by Amy Brozio-Andrews

My sister is a firm believer in the idea that looking good will make you feel good. In general, I agree, but between juggling a family and a job, most days I feel lucky just to find matching socks, let alone even think about spending 45 minutes working on my hair and makeup. It's funny, but I've noticed my own children's behavior mimicking that of their aunt. Two new pairs of ladybug boots and there's nothing those two little dynamos can't do. It's an outlook that Bob Shea captures perfectly in his new picture book New Socks.

"Notice anything different about me?" asks Leon. Don't worry, you won't have to guess for long. Self-confident and very suave (in that funny, serious way only a small child could be), Leon the chick's got a new pair of socks. Big, bright, orange socks. But they're not just any new socks, they're New Socks! Watch him slide across the room when he introduces his New Socks to the hardwood floor, climb the ladder of the big-kids slide with new-found confidence, and even take an imaginary call from the President of the United States: "This afternoon? Why yes, I do believe we're free." With his New Socks, there's nothing Leon can't do!

Bob Shea's voice in the character of Leon is perfect for young readers. Leon is playful and sincere, and energy and enthusiasm radiates from every page. This is the kind of book that gets read over and over again, a zippy little book for waking up and getting the day started.

Big stylized illustrations -- nothing but a chick and his New Socks on almost every page, light blue, yellow, orange, and black dominate -- are bright and eye catching. Super-expressive eyes and wings convey Leon's mood perfectly. Leon's a big yellow bean-y shape with thick black 60's style frames and finger-like wings, standing in a pair of orange socks big enough to give any pair of stockings hung by the chimney a run for their money. He's sassy and cute, and what's funnier, he knows it, and makes sure the kid listening to the story knows it, too. Keeping that intimate, informal, one-on-one conversation at the child's level keeps young listeners hooked on Leon and what he's up to, even though some of the humor might be over their heads (how many pre-schoolers have any concept of a president?).

There's not much of a narrative story to the book in terms of a firm beginning, middle, and end, but the self-confidence that Leon feels in his new socks is contagious and engaging. Young readers will thrill along with him as he commits feats of fear, like playing on the big slide, previously the purview of the older children only. Any kid who's ever had a new piece of clothing, shoes, or other accessory will be able to relate to that feeling of reinvention, of being a brand new you able to tackle the world.