I have a cousin that feels if you like an actor/performer/author you will like every photograph/song/book. Yet, that is not always the case. Sometimes an actor looks better with long hair, sometimes short. Sometimes a singer should not do ballads, others should not try to sing a quickie tune. The same goes for authors. And no matter how much I liked Adam Rubin’s Dragons Love Tacos, I cannot fully love High Five.
High Five is a cute story about having fun and doing your best to be the best. You must practice, do not give up, keep trying. Yet, the narrators voice gets repetitive. Daniel Salmieri’s illustrations are flat against the page. They look like a fancy doodle. And while many will enjoy this abstract, less solid look, it was distracting to me. There are pops of color all over, but that too, after a while, becomes distracting.
Publisher and booksellers were already promoting it before its April release. When it arrived at the store, we also received a for the floor display unit. This is clue one that this book was planned for grander things. Due to the oversized nature of this book, it could work as a story time reading. However, since “you” the reader are the main character it might be hard to have each child “high five” the book as requested. This part of the story lends itself to a one-on-one read with the book being a lap-book, not a “hold in hands” book, and you can lift for “high fiving”.
Overall, this is a mile varies depending on your mood, tastes and interest of the child.