Review Detail

UP, UP, UP, DOWN! is an enchanting picture book that follows a young toddler’s day with his father. Told through the opposites found during the day, including wanting up after waking up to being put down and from making sandcastles in the sandbox to breaking them, this is reminiscent of just about every parent’s experience with toddlerhood.

What I loved: Toddlers will enjoy the colorful pictures depicting each word, which also show the love between parent and child, as well as the simplicity of the text with only a few words on each page. The pages turn quickly, but there is plenty of detail in the images to explore each page more deeply. Introducing these opposites is also delightful and adds a fun educational component to the book.

The absolute best part of the book (in my opinion) is that the family shown features a dynamic where the father is staying home with the toddler and the mother is at work (she comes home at the end with briefcase and then reads to the toddler). This not only celebrates fatherhood, but it also depicts families with different dynamics (like mine) than what is often seen. I loved having this as part of the story!

Final verdict: This simple picture book is sure to delight both parents and children in a celebration of fatherhood, parenthood, and toddlerhood. The lovely and colorful images along with the simple text of opposites make this a delightful read from start to finish. I would highly recommend for young infants through toddlers who will certainly enjoy reading this fun book with their parents!