Be Well City

by Eva Clarke, Richie Williams (illustrator)

Squirrel embarks on a journey to some favorite places and encourages the city to be well in this homage to a picture book classic.

34 pages, Hardcover

Published October 20, 2023

About the author

I write fun, imaginative picture books that bring smiles to kids’ faces, invite meaningful conversations, nurture empathy and well-being, spark curiosity, and help kids believe they can make a difference.

Be Well City is my first picture book. Squirrel visits favorite places and bids the city well in this homage to a picture book classic.
"...the text is simple and sweet, the rhymes are soft and lulling, and it all flows well...It's not Goodnight Moon, but this book has its own pleasant appeal." - Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

[Annika · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book where, before anything, I would love to know more about the authors. I can't find squat about Eva Clarke, and evidently Richie Williams is an illustrator, dad, and listens to a lot of Lana Del Ray and Shakey Graves. I'm not really sure why I want to know this information but it feels relevant to my review of it ultimately, because I think I would feel different if this was a student project of something of the ilk.

I'm a 24 year old person, maybe I had no business reading this to begin with, but what can I say! I'm an artist myself, I love picture books, and I'm curious by nature wondering if I too could figure out what book this book is homage to (It's Goodnight Moon btw).

The writing is...fine? It feels less of an homage to Goodnight Moon as much as a bit derivative. What makes Goodnight Moon so good is the illustrations as well as all the specific things having more adjectives and descriptions. For example: the red balloon, bowl full of mush, quiet old lady whispering hush. So this book's sparse words come across as less simplistic but a little bare because the illustrations aren't quite capable of holding up the words.

As an artist, art is freaking hard. It's super hard! I can excuse a lack of skill due to inexperience (I myself went to some life drawing last week and was humbled as always by the difficulty of art) but I do feel like reusing the drawing of a squirrel by flipping it due to it being digital art feels lazy. Like...c'mon man. Kids aren't dumb, they are gonna notice that. Show the squirrel interacting with some of these objects, and for the love of all things, don't just write "corner store" on the corner store--just make up some fake cute name! Call it the Snack Shack, call it the Joe's Quik-Shop, call it the Crunchy Corner, idk!

I feel like I'm going in unnecessarily hard on this book but I am not a believer in being overly generous to children's books because children read them and what kids read really matters. This book doesn't really work for me, not because I'm too old, but because it lacks an understanding of kids as a demographic. Kids care a lot more than people believe and need to be genuinely engaged with or else its just another couple pages they'll forget about within the hour.

Anyways, thank you to authors for the free copy and, uh, I'm very sorry for not having more kind things to say. Though I will say a squirrel in a park without an acorn playing a role? Criminal, please amend this in the sequel!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be Well City is such a cute and fun read! It follows Squirrel as he explores the city, visiting his favorite spots and spreading good vibes along the way. The pictures are super cute—my child couldn’t get enough of them! He especially loved the scenes at the park, and it even got us talking about how much fun it would be to go to the park ourselves. It’s a sweet, feel-good story that’s perfect for little ones. If you’re looking for a fun book to spark some imagination (and maybe a park visit), definitely check this one out!

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

While this was a cute little story with cute illustrations, it just did not hold my kiddos interest. Maybe it was the wording?