Sharing A Smile, illustrated comfort pandemic food for masks and more

When I lived in Japan I saw civilians wearing masks in public for the first time. Sure, the pollution wasn’t great, but I just couldn’t get comfortable with wearing them. Fast forward to today and manufacturers have made quality, comfortable masks that you can purchase as many stores. Unfortunately, this was due to the worldwide pivot that everyone had to make due to COVID. Sharing A Smile is an illustrated book that looks at a neighborhood during this through a young girl’s eyes. It’s a sweet book that has a very calming vibe for early through middle elementary school students. However, is this just a COVID book, or does it have legs to push to a more universal and timeless appeal?

Sharing A Smile starts off with COVID as a reality and everyone already wearing masks. Sophie and her grandfather are in their house taking stock of who is wearing them in their neighborhood. He points out that one family down the street always wore masks when they were outside doing things. Their neighbor is gardening with a mask, and kids are riding their bikes with masks on, but her friend looks scared and isn’t going anywhere.

The two of them start producing masks that display aspects of their recipient’s personality. The mail carrier’s mask has music notes on it. The cycling kids in the neighborhood have bike parts on them and more. They also produce a special mask that will appeal to her friend that was scared. At the end of the book, we see a broad picture of the neighborhood that shows everyone wearing their mask, even her friend who is wearing a lion mask, with her lion stuffed animal behind her.

Sharing A Smile is a very cute book with lots of lessons young readers will take away from it. While the mask storyline is front and center, the book also works as a time capsule to this time period. Even though the pandemic is the basis for the underlying story, it’s a story of helping and being kind. There are two ways to look at the book. One is glass half empty as it is a statement about how COVID turned the world upside down. The other way, the more obvious way, leads to the book being as something that reminds us of this time, but focuses on the positive things, regardless of how minute they might appear to us.

Sharing A Smile is by Nicki Kramar with illustrations by Ashley Evans is by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

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