Say It!

by Charlotte Zolotow, James Stevenson (Illustrator), Alc (Editor)

The love of a mother for her little girl permeates a walk they take together on an autumn day.

Original illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family, Juvenile, Adventure, Storytime

34 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Charlotte Zolotow was a distinguished American writer, editor, and publisher who made a lasting mark on children's literature. Over her career, she authored around 70 picture book texts and edited works by prominent writers including Paul Zindel, Robert Lipsyte, and Francesca Lia Block. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, she studied writing at the University of Wisconsin Madison and later joined Harper & Bros in New York, where she worked her way up from secretary to publisher. Her own books were published by over 20 houses, and she became known for her poetic and emotionally insightful texts. Zolotow’s most celebrated works include When the Wind Stops, William’s Doll, and River Winding. Her story "Enemies" was featured in The Big Book for Peace alongside other notable authors. She lived for many years in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. Her legacy endures not only through her own writing but also through the Charlotte Zolotow Award, established in 1998 to honor outstanding picture book texts. Her contributions helped shape modern children's literature with sensitivity, elegance, and enduring relevance.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet mother/daughter romp through a field one fall day.

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

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[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Say It! is actually a variation of a game Julia and I play - and have played for a long time - together. I had no idea what this was about when I picked it up though and was pleasantly surprised. I wish I could say that the story is exceptional. Our game is exceptional. But the book is not.
It's a good story, it's a nice read aloud, it's probably special to some people out there, but maybe because of our own personal game I wanted to feel it more. I'm not sure. I just didn't feel like this was something we'd ever read again. Or miss. Or think of for that matter.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little girl and her mother take an autumn walk together. The little girl wants her mother to "Say it!" So the mother says goofy things like "It's a golden, shining splendiferous day!" This frustrates the little girl until the mother finally says what she wants to hear: "I love you."

[Buxmont Uu]

CMMW 21
CMMW 33

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As "splendiferous" as a crisp, golden Autumn day.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this and cannot wait to share it with Madam.

[Kim Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical language, beautiful illustrations. A book full of love to share with the little ones in your life - and with some of the older ones, too.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was very sweet, but lacked some of the "oomph" I was expecting at the ending. I also feel like the book is probably incredibly sentimental to someone, somewhere, but that makes it slightly less approachable for anybody else.
At any rate, I do like introducing kids to the idea that you can be saying something without using words, or the *right* words. I also loved the illustrations, I thought they were a great addition - sort of like the story itself, you want more from them until you realize that they were giving you exactly what you wanted all along.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple line drawings with earth tone watercolors beautifully illustrate the updated version of this book originally published in 1980. The story is timeless as a mother and daughter walk down a country road on a windy autumn day. They encounter pleasant surprises along the way, as the mother gently talks with the little girl who wants to hear something special. Finally the mother tells her daughter, “I love you,” as she explains that she’s been telling her that all along the way. This is a refreshing reminder that time spent with family may be more precious than any words.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming and sweet tale about the many ways in which one can say "I love you." Rich and descriptive vocabulary accompany stunning art as a mother and daughter go for a walk, admiring the many beautiful things around them. Besides communicating about the world they see, the many things they don't say also reveals a lot about who they are. A wonderful introduction for discussing deeper things with little ones, as well as for describing the natural world. Highly recommended.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad Zolotow's works are being re-released. Not sure exactly why they're getting new illustrations (have theories, but no drive to research), especially in this case where the two artists' styles are so similar.

But glad that Candlewick knows the value of the luminosity of Zolotow's small stories about the things that make the big impressions on children. In this case, the scuffing and scrunching of walking through the leaves and meeting new neighbors....

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet book about love between a mother and her child. Great for discussions about how you can "say" something without speaking. Or use it to talk about what love means.

I love the illustrations here too. Use them to discuss different media, realism vs idealsim , and why an illustrator might choose different style to convey different feelings.

[Rhonda K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 1980, there is a new 2015 U.S. edition available. So glad I saw it at the library. Nice momentum and build-up, and the watercolor illustrations are beautiful. My son and I loved reading it together.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lovely autumn walk shared by mother and daughter marred by contrived suspense and unsatisfying ending.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet interaction between mother and daughter along a walk during a blustery fall day. Love the vocabulary used. Great lap book.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet book. And I love that they are on a walk together.

[Cassidy Crandall · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the shortest of picture books, Say It!, is about a stubborn little girl on a walk with her mother on the first day of Autumn. If you’re already wondering what she wanted her mom to say, I will let you figure it out reading it yourself. This book would be good for mid starter level readers that can read independently in kinder. The girl and he mom see many different things in their community; animals and scenery mostly. The illustrations are what really stood out to me; as these painting were all water colored. The illustrations were added as support to the words on pages. They both tell different; but similar stories. You would never know if the girl was mad because the back of her head was featured not her face. The colors were awesome to look at too; gentle to understand the first day of autumn and the tone of the story; very laid back. The repetition in the story was useful because of the similarity in words, and tone but my main critique was that it was too repetitive and I got bored easily. Personally, I would not recommend this in your classroom but as an option in your class library.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst I usually love Charlotte Voake's illustrations, she had used a different technique and this had a more slap dash style which I found nowhere near as enjoyable.

A little girl keeps asking her mother to 'say it' her mother doesn't answer her but shows her things. Each page the little girl asks this but gets no answer. You begin to wonder what she wants her mum to say, I thought it was going to be to be something about winter coming as this was set in Autumn. Eventually the mum says 'I love you' I couldn't work out why on earth the mum wouldn't say that sooner. A friend pointed out that the mum was showing that she loved her by her actions instead. Obviously this was a story aimed at adults and the point was lost on me, as it would be on children I expect.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Checked this out since it was on a curated list of books for autumn. Meh. For some reason, instead of feeling like a part of the relationship between mother and daughter, I felt like an intruder. The "game" of the daughter wanting her mother to say a particular something and the mother dodging it was almost uncomfortable. The illustrations are of a style that didn't capture our attention. Won't be a repeat read.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a young girl and her mother enjoy a stroll through the woods on an autumn day whenever something catches the girls attention, she requests that her mother say something to her. The mother describes what is seen, but the girl insists that it's not what she wants to hear. As the pair head home, the exact phrase is revealed.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hiir2...

[Marisa Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ✨

[Black Flamed Candle Books 🕯️📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rate this 3.5 stars ⭐️. I love the autumnal colours and I loved the moral of the story.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another break book for sensory language and rich description. This one describing what was all around as a mother and daughter went for a walk.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations with sweeps of color and only a few lines update this classic but simple tale of a mother and daughter taking a walk and learning the "language of love"

[Awjtf · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful book!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful and so confident.