A perfect read-out-loud tale about the impact of emotions and how to navigate them.

One Little Word tells the story of two best friends whose argument erupts on the playground manifesting in a monster that disturbs the friends' time.

This picture book was an inclusive, whimsical tale, with pastel illustrations bringing out the best in this simple yet beautiful art style.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the ability to read and review this book early!

The unique colors chosen for the illustrations really made them pop. It helped make the book stand out. This is a great book to teach young children about big emotions and how to deal with them. I loved the message in this story.

One little word can make all the difference. This book helps young ones with their big emotions. The illustrations provide a visual of how an argument can affect you, your best friend, and even those around you. A big purple monster represents the argument on the playground. All while the main character either ignores it or says more mean words to it, the argument monster grows. The argument leads to a big blow up, and the characters burst with emotion.

I love the illustrations. The book takes something complex and invisible and turns it into something that can be seen and dissipated.

This book was so cute! First of all, I love the diversity. The illustrations are beautiful and inclusive. The author does a great job of showing how a tiny argument can grow, but also how it needs to slowly shrink before it can disappear. This is a great book for kids!

Argument is a large, ugly bloated monster that grows and grows during a disagreement between two friends in the playground. I love that the book focuses on one single moment but that moment has so much to explore and so much emotion. The children learn how to deal with this monster.
The artwork is very pleasant with a traditional vibe to it and pastel colors very whimsy. The book has an amazing poster-like double page that translates well the epitome of their fight.
I love books that design the font to express emotion and this does it well.

This book is perfect for any kids going into elementary school! It's a great read-aloud for parents and kids to navigate tricky feelings. We all remember getting into fights with our friends in school and this shows how saying sorry can help heal that hurt. I enjoyed the brightly colored illustrations, diverse representation, and the personification of an argument as a monster. The book is fun to read while still managing to teach a great lesson.

Love the diversity of the characters and the vivid pictures. I think it's great to give a sort of visual for "the argument", this helps describe things in a more childlike way. I love how important the apology was in the story though I do wish it had been more than just "sorry" and instead something like "I'm sorry I pushed you" or something along those lines. It's great to model a full apology than just a general one (though I could see that this might have messed with the flow of the story a bit).