Sometimes I Am Hot Lava

June 1, 2024

Gr 1-3-Buddy is a regular kid who sometimes gets bubbling, boiling mad like a volcano. "I am hot lava! Fiery, hot and explosive." Usually, he can turn the heat down, but not always. At breakfast his little sister Gracie is sitting in his chair (again), then he spills milk all over himself. He manages to cool himself down by reminding himself everyone spills sometimes. Later his dog Winnie upends a board game that he was winning, causing him to heat up, but her doggie kisses cool him down again. Then he and Gracie, who both have black hair and tan skin, head to the park to play basketball, except the basket is so high that Buddy misses every shot. With each miss he gets hotter until he's lava exploding at his sister and yelling. Buddy cools down by sitting under a tree while taking deep, measured breaths and using his words to express his frustration. While Buddy can't always avoid becoming hot lava, he knows how to deal with it. Shaffer's text is engaging; it's dynamically placed in and around the illustrations, effectively enhancing them. Videlo's art gets the "day in the life" of an ordinary child just right, while seamlessly depicting Buddy when he gets "hot" with increasingly red hair and red face. Both the illustrations and text successfully embrace the lava metaphor. Solid concept and illustrations have been paired with a kid-friendly end note about being angry and what to do when it happens. VERDICT Everyone gets mad, and this highly relatable story shows what to do when it happens. Recommended for all collections.-Catherine Callegari

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