Loops

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Author(s)

Jashar Awan

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 03, 2026

ISBN

978-1665974943

Buy This Book

From Caldecott Honor– and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor–winning author-illustrator Jashar Awan comes a hilarious and “confidence-boosting” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) picture book about the perseverance and positive self-talk needed to learn to tie your shoelaces!

This big kid is wearing his first pair of big-kid shoes, the kind with laces! Even though they’re a little on the roomy side—shoes to grow into, of course—he knows he can take care of them. Except they keep falling off!

Not to worry, he’ll just tie them up again, because he knows how to tie those loops! But wait a second, where did that darn shoe go?

Nothing is ever truly easy when you’re just starting something new; but, just like with any stage in childhood, whether it’s making your first steps, or going down the really big slide, with persistence, doing anything scary or overwhelming quickly becomes a piece of cake! And before you know it, you’re a BIG KID!

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Important lesson about perseverance

May 07, 2026 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

A little boy has brand new, big kid shoes, but they keep coming off. He needs to tie them tight, but struggles a bit. Still, he’s excited about being a big kid, so he keeps practicing. He also thinks about other things that used to be too hard for him, like swinging, that he can do by himself. When his shoe comes off again, he is frustrated, but remembers that he just needs to practice. He likes all of the things that he is able to do as a big kid, like go down a slide or ride on the merry-go-round on the playground, so when he loses his shoe again, he decides to solve the problem with a good attitude, and manages to find his shoe.

Good Points

While the story is very simple, the message is clear: it’s fun to do hard things. This is something I believe in quite strongly, so I am very excited to read this book with my grandson! The little boy doesn’t always find it easy, and his frustration is very clear. Still, it is balanced against the fun things that he can do, even if those things took a long time to master. This is such a necessary message; I am half tempted to read it to my 7th and 8th graders!

The illustration style reminded me a bit of Taro Gomi, since there are a lot of solid color shapes without pencil lines set against clean backgrounds, and the little boy’s expressive face is also composed of simple shapes.. The bright red shoes are a nice touch. The merry-go-round looks like the ones I loved in the 1970s, so might be a little anachronistic (and unsafe!), but are definitely recognizable.

This is a great book for toddlers as well as early elementary school students, and offers a great lesson in diligence and perseverance. Add this to a motivation library that includes Singh and Kaur’s Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon, Leonard’s Gobi: A Little Dog with a Big Heart, and Uegaki and Leng’s Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin as well as the classic favorite, Watty Piper’s 1930 The Little Engine That Could.

Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer #1 Reviewer 2477 reviews

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Learn to Tie with Confidence!

April 04, 2026 (Updated: June 04, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

This spunky little kid is learning to tie his shoes. It's tricky to master, and he trips a few times, but a few loose laces aren't going to keep him down as he runs about the playground. Through it all, he's having fun, and someday this practice will make him a true shoelace master.

This story is so energetic and fun. The vibrant colors are warm and fun and overflowing with positive energy, along side large-sized text that makes for easy family reading. Readers can enjoy a relatable, uplifting story about learning a new skill, encouragement to try and keep trying hard things, and the struggles and rewards of becoming a big kid.