A review by backonthealex
The Boy Who Loved Everyone by Jane Porter

4.0

On his first day of preschool, Demitri is so excited and happy to be there that he goes around telling everyone and everything that he loves them - the other kids, the teacher, the tree in the playgound, even the lunch lady. But no one responds to him the same way. Instead, they just joke or turn away. By the end of the day, Dimitri is feeling pretty dejected. But he never noticed how uncomfortable he was making the other people feel with his demonstration of affection. The next day, even though Dimitri doesn't want to go to school, his mom gets him ready while she explains how people can say I love you in different ways without saying the words, but through action, kindness, and words of appreciation - like hugging, sharing and friendliness. When Dimetri gets to school, the other kids invite him to join in their activities and to sit together for story time, demonstrating just what his mother had to hime about how to say I love you, just not in those words. A encouraging story about learning to recognize social cues and helping young kids with social-emotional development. The brightly colored mixed media illustration as a sweet as Demitri is and also reflect the wide range of diverse children and adults in today's schools and neighborhoods.