One Red Thread: A Story of Connection by Lindsay Ward (author and illustration, read via an online reader copy, due September 2026) has everything I dislike about a book. It is too sweet, too cute, too happy-joy-joy, too kumbaya-yah. And yet, while it was too much for me, I think this book has great potential for all ages, including adults. And, for some reason, despite my dislikes I really liked this book.
The illustrations are cute, simple but are not lacking. I like how the colors are used to pull you in the direction of the story. Sometimes the red thread itself oddly enough can get lost, but you just follow the flow and you can see how the journey of a seemingly single thread can blossom into something pretty amazing. Overall, an enjoyable book that has a circular twist to things and it is good for multiple opportunities. It is a good bedtime story, or a quiet time break book. It is good for a baby shower (for the parent or child for later), it works as a first birthday gift and for multiple gift giving opportunities for adults. 
The publisher’s description says this book is meant to recognize and cherish the connections in our lives.But I think it is just fun to watch the red string have adventures. There are related activities for conversion starters and things that work for classroom or one-on-one time with your child (grandchild, niece, nephew, etc). Perhaps my favorite part of things is the mixed media of the illustrations where you have cross stitch canvas, paint, and real string in different formats.
