SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Can’t Stop Kissing That Baby
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.klgoing.com/
CITY: Glen Spey
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 403
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born August 21, 1973, in Rhinebeck, NY; daughter of William (an environmental engineer) and Linda (a librarian) Going; married; children: one son, one stepdaughter.
EDUCATION:Eastern College (PA), B.A. (sociology).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and editor. Curtis Brown, Ltd., New York, NY, assistant literary agent, 2000-05; K.L. Going Manuscript Critique Service, founder, 2006—; guest speaker and Highlights Foundation workshop leader. Also worked variously as an adult literacy tutor, airline ticket agent, and resort hotel desk clerk; Merritt Bookstore, Cold Spring, NY, part-time clerk.
AVOCATIONS:Music, reading, travel.
AWARDS:Michael L. Printz Honor Book designation, American Library Association (ALA), 2004, for Fat Kid Rules the World; Rainbow Project listee, ALA, for King of the Screwups; numerous honors from state reading associations.
WRITINGS
Contributor of short fiction to periodicals, including Face, and to anthologies, including Full House: Ten Stories about Poker, edited by Pete Hautman, Putnam (New York, NY), 2007, and No Such Thing as the Real World: Stories about Growing Up and Getting a Life, edited by An Na, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2009.
Going’s novels have been adapted for audiobook. Fat Kid Rules the World was adapted as an independent film, directed by actor Matthew Lillard, ARC Entertainment, 2012. King of the Screwups has been optioned for television.
SIDELIGHTS
The overweight, the mistake-prone, the recently expelled, and the neurotic all take center stage in the award-winning youth novels of K.L. Going. In works such as Saint Iggy, King of the Screwups, and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Fat Kid Rules the World, Going addresses themes of friendship, self-acceptance, and redemption. “Mostly I write about feelings,” the author commented on her home page. “I try to tap into the extreme ends of the emotional spectrum. I’m not as interested in the stable feelings in the middle. I take the best and worst feelings and try to make those emotions come alive through my characters.”
Going was born and raised in the Hudson Valley area of New York, where she was fond of outdoor adventures as well as reading. She told Children’s Writers Guild interviewer Sheila Wright, “Because my parents both shared a love of books, we read aloud together as a family from the time I was small right up through high school. There’s no better training for a writer. I liken it to learning to play music ‘by ear.’ I was always surrounded by stories.” Attending college in Pennsylvania, she majored in sociology and minored in biblical studies, and upon graduating she volunteered as a teacher in New Orleans through the Mennonite Central Committee. Her early professional career, in addition to a few clerical and managerial jobs, involved serving as an assistant literary agent at the reputed Curtis Brown, Ltd. She had written her first novel, a fantasy, in high school, and her proximity to the publishing world led her to eventually embark on her own writing career.
Fat Kid Rules the World introduces Troy Billings, a dejected 6-foot 1-inch, 300-pound Watson High School senior. Through the development of a rather unlikely friendship with local rock musician Curt MacCrae, Troy becomes a drummer in Curt’s band and begins to deal with his depression while working through several other personal issues as well. A reviewer in Publishers Weekly called Going’s debut novel “savvy and fast-paced,” and Ilene Cooper commented in Booklist that, while Going’s “narrative could have been tighter in places,” Fat Kid Rules the World “is an impressive debut that offers hope for all kids.” Renee Steinberg stated in a School Library Journal review that the “many unexpected twists and turns” in the tale will draw teen readers into the author’s “wonderful, engrossing tale.” The novel was also enjoyed by actor Matthew Lillard, who directed a film version released in 2012 that earned an audience award upon its release at Austin, Texas’s SXSW Film Festival.
A fourth-grader is the subject of The Liberation of Gabriel King, a chapter book geared for younger readers. Living in small-town Georgia during the mid-1970s, Gabriel King has a fear of spiders, alligators, cows, bullies, the crotchety man living next door, dead things, and the Ku Klux Klan. However, Gabriel’s best friend, Frieda, is there to challenge his patchwork of worries, helping the cautious preteen tap into the strength of friends and family as well as the heroic example of civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. “The characters here are funny and brave and drawn with candor and immediacy,” wrote Booklist critic Hazel Rochman, while Coop Renner noted in School Library Journal that in The Liberation of Gabriel King, “Going deftly balances the ugly face of racism with the more powerful forces of understanding.” “Strong voice, lively dialogue, humor and important themes make this a winner,” concluded a Kirkus Reviews writer of the novel.
When eleven-year-old Evie Adler and her recently widowed dad move from suburban Michigan to rural upstate New York in The Garden of Eve, they hope to override what local residents call a curse that has prevented the apple trees on their new property from bearing fruit. As father and daughter attempt to resuscitate their new orchard, Evie is given an unidentified seed for her eleventh birthday. The tree that grows from this special seed germinates quickly, and while watching it sprout and grow Evie’s optimism and faith in life’s magic is restored. Writing in School Library Journal, Daniella Serra called The Garden of Eve “a poignant tale with endearing characters” in which “Going realistically portrays the different ways that people grieve and the emotions accompanying loss.” “Believably and with delicacy, Going paints a suspenseful story suffused with the poignant questions of what it means to be alive, and what might await on the other side,” commented Susan Dove Lempke in her Horn Book review of the middle-grade novel.
Sixteen-year-old Iggy Corso, the protagonist of Saint Iggy, takes it in stride when he is expelled from high school; after all, neither his long-gone mom nor his stoner dad cares. Leaving his dad a note, the teen leaves home to make a new life for himself. His innate wisdom as well as his street smarts help Iggy survive in the city environment, and his travels take him from the lap of luxury to the party scene and then to church while hoping to rescue best friend Mo from a drug-addled lifestyle.
Calling Saint Iggy “touching and understandable,” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy contributor Sara Ann Schettler praised Iggy’s engaging narrative, adding that “teens will identify Going’s portrayals of unsympathetic teachers, parents, and authority figures.” In her “most impressive achievement yet,” Going “delivers a powerful anti-drug story without being preachy,” wrote a Publishers Weekly reviewer, the critic adding that “Iggy’s perceptions call into question readers’ own sense of society’s structure and inner workings.” Going “grounds her story in grim, realistic urban details,” wrote Booklist critic Gillian Engberg, and the “first-person voice” in Saint Iggy “is earnest, angry, sarcastic, and filled with small insights.”
Going’s King of the Screwups focuses on high-school senior Liam Gellar. The most popular and best-dressed kid at his school, Liam is more attuned to athletics than academics, a fact that disappoints his father, an uptight executive. When Liam is booted out of the house for bad behavior, his mother attempts to provide a soft landing for her ne’er-do-well son: she sends him to live with his father’s rarely-spoken-of brother Pete. Also called “Aunt Pete,” Liam’s uncle is a cross-dressing former glam rocker who lives in a trailer in upstate New York and who works as a deejay. As Liam encounters the eccentric cast of characters orbiting around Pete, he resolves to get back into his dad’s good graces by reinventing himself as a scholarly, straight-laced nerd.
Writing in Booklist, Engberg remarked that in King of the Screwups, “Going balances her strong messages of self-discovery and acceptance with compassionate, bittersweet scenes.” Similar praise came from School Library Journal contributor Vicki Reutter, who noted that the author’s “knack for defying stereotypes and creating memorable characters will not disappoint fans.”
Going’s novel Pieces of Why was partly inspired by her volunteer service in Louisiana and a desire to write a novel that children with a parent in prison could relate to. Twelve-year-old Tia Frank, who is fond of singing in her church choir, lives with her hardworking mother while her father is in prison. The local shooting of a baby leads Tia to discover that the crime her father committed was the murder of a girl her age during a robbery. As Tia also deals with conflict with best friend Keisha Evette’s family over racial identity, she gets help coping from sweet friend Kenny Lin. A Kirkus Reviews writer called the book “a noble effort on Going’s part,” as “she does a commendable job of bringing readers into Tia’s hardscrabble neighborhood.” In Voice of Youth Advocates, Kim Carter declared, “An engrossing and accessible first-person narrative, Pieces of Why deftly challenges stereotypes while addressing the critical need for young people to connect to adults they can trust.” Also in Voice of Youth Advocates, teen reviewer Amy Bedell praised the “sense of mystery” and concluded that “people who value family and community will like this book.”
In a novelistic nod to renowned British author Jane Austen, Going offers a tale full of familial and romantic complications in The Next Great Jane. Twelve-year-old Jane Brannen, who lives with her scientist father in Maine, is a huge fan of Austen, and when novelist J.E. Fairfax moves to town, she is inspired with visions of future fame. Fairfax’s haughty son, however, becomes Jane’s adversary at school, and meanwhile her absent mother arrives from Hollywood with a dashing new fiancé and a desire for custody over Jane, who has to figure out what she really wants out of life. A Kirkus Reviews writer observed that Going succeeds in living up to Austen’s legacy “with witty banter and young small-town characters that are both sophisticated and accessible.” In School Library Journal, Christina Paolozzi proclaims that Going has succeeded in creating “another original and captivating story by weaving engaging characters in an ordinary setting who do incredible and impossible things.”
Going turns to a younger readership in her first picture book, Dog in Charge, which chronicles an obedient canine’s effort to keep five resident cats in check when their owners head to the store. The felines cause no end of trouble, spilling milk and scattering fireplace ashes, and Dog finally gives in to exhaustion and falls fast asleep. When he wakes, however, he finds a most curious but delightful surprise, courtesy of his raucous housemates.
“Going’s sentence structure reflects the hero’s thought patterns and her sound effects … escalate the humor,” Gay Lynn Van Vleck commented in her review of Dog in Charge in School Library Journal. A Publishers Weekly contributor applauded the author’s “skillful use of repetition” as well as the “agreeable and entertaining animal cast” in the picture book, and a Kirkus Reviews critic described Dog in Charge as a “rollicking romp.”
Going turns to picture-book biography with The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright. When he was just a baby, Wright’s mother dreamed that he would become an architect, so she made sure to supply him with plenty of blocks and building toys. As he grew up, Wright loved finding shapes in nature, and his architecture became renowned for its integration with the natural world. In Booklist, Ilene Cooper described the narrative as “both concrete and touched with whimsy,” while a Kirkus Reviews writer called The Shape of the World “a lovely introduction to the impact that a creative mind can have on the world.”
As the title suggests, onomatopoetic delights fill the pages of Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump!, a story of a siblings’ day of countryside blueberry picking and the delicious pie they are rewarded with in the end. A Kirkus Reviews writer praised the “sonorous, animated phrasing” and affirmed that children will “bounce along to each new frolicsome declaration right up to the somniferous end.”
The picture book This Is the Planet Where I Live, illustrated by Debra Frasier, provides a sweeping overview of the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the food web on the planet. The book opens on a micro level and pans out to showcase the flora and fauna that are all interdependent. The book provides a springboard for conversations about climate change, conservation, and science. A Kirkus Reviews writer had high praise for the book and took note of the “magnificent” verses. “A stunning tribute that will make future conservationists out of all who read it,” concluded the critic. Similarly, a Publishers Weekly reviewer deemed This Is the Planet Where I Live “a lively celebration of interconnected life.”
In a Publishers Weekly interview with Sue Corbett, Going noted that her versatility is a key to her literary success. “I … never wanted to be a cookie-cutter writer, one who the reader knows what they’re getting before they even open the book,” she stated. “I’m sure I’m a marketer’s nightmare. You’re supposed to write books that all look the same on the shelf. Mine are not even all in the same department.”
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Going and illustrator Fiona Lee capture baby love in the Can’t Stop Killing That Baby picture book that shows mothers of various skin tones snuggling and kissing their babies. The bonds between mother and child are captured in bouncy verses and repetition of sing-song text explaining why Momma can’t stop kissing their baby and will never run out of kisses. The book shows various families in a neighborhood, going for a walk, visiting a café, watching a soccer game, gathering at a picnic table in a park, and spending time with the dog. “Text and visuals combine for a glowing portrait of doting caregivers,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer. The characters’ “hip hairstyles and comfortable-looking clothes make them broadly relatable—and provide a playful, stylized counterpoint to the at-times forceful sweetness of the text,” noted a writer in Kirkus Reviews.
Big Kids, illustrated by Reggie Brown, is a picture book about the first day of school for a child who is overwhelmed by all the big kids around him. The big kids are loud, crowding around, high-fiving each other, have big feet that stomp the floor, cast very long shadows, and are generally intimidating. But today is Buddy Day, when a big kid helps a little kid learn where to find his classroom, put his coat, get chocolate pudding in the cafeteria, and play basketball at recess. Now, big kids aren’t so scary, are actually friendly, and are nice to have around. Digital illustrations use perspective to show the big kids as giants, but at the end of Buddy Day, the children are normal size. In Kirkus Reviews a critic reported: “These big kids clearly have big hearts. The narrator and the buddy are Black; the supporting cast is diverse.” In Publishers Weekly, a reviewer noted that Going presents “a reassuring story about the many ways an older pal can be a source of assistance.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 15, 2003, Ilene Cooper, review of Fat Kid Rules the World, p. 1659; May 15, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of The Liberation of Gabriel King, p. 1674; September 15, 2006, Gillian Engberg, review of Saint Iggy, p. 60; October 1, 2007, Frances Bradburn, review of The Garden of Eve, p. 52; April 15, 2009, Gillian Engberg, review of King of the Screwups, p. 37; May 15, 2012, Daniel Kraus, review of Dog in Charge, p. 58; August 1, 2017, Ilene Cooper, review of The Shape of the World: A Portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright, p. 50; April 15, 2020, Julia Smith, review of The Next Great Jane, p. 71.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July-August, 2009, Elizabeth Bush, review of King of the Screwups, p. 444.
Horn Book, July-August, 2003, Peter D. Sieruta, review of Fat Kid Rules the World, p. 456; May-June, 2005, Vicky Smith, review of The Liberation of Gabriel King, p. 324; November-December, 2006, Jennifer M. Brabander, review of Saint Iggy, p. 711; November-December, 2007, Susan Dove Lempke, review of The Garden of Eve, p. 679.
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, February, 2007, Sara Ann Schettler, review of Saint Iggy, p. 420.
Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2003, review of Fat Kid Rules the World, p. 676; May 15, 2005, review of The Liberation of Gabriel King, p. 588; September 15, 2006, review of Saint Iggy, p. 953; September 1, 2007, review of The Garden of Eve; April 15, 2012, review of Dog in Charge; June 15, 2015, review of Pieces of Why; June 15, 2017, review of The Shape of the World; July 1, 2017, review of Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump!; February 15, 2020, review of The Next Great Jane; February 1, 2023, review of This Is the Planet Where I Live; January 15, 2025, review of Can’t Stop Kissing That Baby; May 15, 2025, review of Big Kids.
Kliatt, July, 2008, Bette Ammon, review of Saint Iggy, p. 23.
New York Times Book Review, July 12, 2009, Ned Vizzini, Bette Ammon, review of King of the Screwups, p. 13.
Publishers Weekly, June 23, 2003, review of Fat Kid Rules the World, p. 69; June 27, 2005, review of The Liberation of Gabriel King, p. 64; October 30, 2006, review of Saint Iggy, p. 63; October 1, 2007, review of The Garden of Eve, p. 56; February 9, 2009, review of King of the Screwups, p. 49; April 16, 2012, review of Dog in Charge, p. 63.
School Library Journal, May, 2003, Renee Steinberg, review of Fat Kid Rules the World, p. 152; June, 2005, Coop Renner, review of The Liberation of Gabriel King, p. 158; September, 2006, Shannon Seglin, review of Saint Iggy, p. 206; December, 2007, Daniella Serra, review of The Garden of Eve, p. 130; April, 2009, Rick Margolis, interview with Going, p. 23, and Vicki Reutter, review of King of the Screwups, p. 134; May, 2012, Gay Lynn Van Vleck, review of Dog in Charge, p. 72; July, 2015, Carol A. Edwards, review of Pieces of Why, p. 77; August, 2017, Maryann H. Owen, review of Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump!, p. 65; May, 2020, Christina Paolozzi, review of The Next Great Jane, p. 57.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 2009, Mary Ann Darby, review of King of the Screwups, p. 136; October, 2015, Kim Carter and Amy Bedell, review of Pieces of Why, p. 51.
ONLINE
Children’s Writers Guild website, https://www.childrenswritersguild.com/ (April 10, 2016), Sheila Wright, author interview.
Highlights Foundation website, https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/ (June 13, 2020), author profile.
K.L. Going website, http://klgoing.com (August 7, 2023).
Powells website, http://www.powells.com/ (August 1, 2009), “Kids’ Q&A: K.L. Going.”
Publishers Weekly, http://www.publishersweekly.com/ (February 12, 2009), Sue Corbett, author interview; (May 25, 2023), review of This Is the Planet Where I Live; (March 2025), review of Can’t Stop Kissing That Baby; (July 2025), review of Big Kids.*
K.L. Going is the award-winning author of numerous books for children and teens. Her first novel, Fat Kid Rules the World, was named a Michael Printz Honor Book by the American Library Association, and was included on YALSA’s Best Books for Young Adults list and their list of Best Books for the Past Decade. Her books have been Booksense picks, Scholastic Book Club choices, Junior Library Guild selections, NY Public Library Best Books for the Teenage, and winners of state book awards. They’ve been featured by Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and the Children’s Book Council as Best Books of the Year. Her work has also been published in Korea, China, Italy, Japan, Germany, and the UK. Fat Kid Rules the World has been adapted into an independent film, directed by Matthew Lillard! The film has gotten over thirty rave reviews and was an Audience Award winner at the SXSW Film Festival. Now Fat Kid Rules the World is being developed as a Broadway show. KL’s novel King of the Screwups has also been optioned for television!
K.L. began her career working at one of the oldest literary agencies in New York City. She used this inner knowledge of publishing to write Writing and Selling the Young Adult Novel — a how-to book for aspiring writers, published by Writer’s Digest. She has also written short stories for several anthologies and currently has multiple picture books under contract. She lives in Glen Spey, NY where she both writes and runs a business critiquing manuscripts. She’s also a mom to the world’s cutest little boy.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where and when were you born?
A: Rhinebeck, NY on August 21, 1973.
Q: Where did you grow up? Did you have a happy childhood?
A: I grew up in the Hudson Valley area of New York state, specifically, Borden Road, Wallkill, NY, and I had a wonderful childhood full of great books and outdoor adventures.
Q: Tell us about your family.Author KL Going
I’m married and I have a young son and a step-daughter. My parents’ names are William and Linda Going. My dad is an environmental engineer and my mother is a librarian.
Q: Where did you go to school?
A: I went to Wallkill High School in NY, and Eastern College in PA. I was a sociology major and a Biblical studies minor.
Q: What other jobs have you had before writing full time?
A: Since graduating college I’ve worked as an adult literacy tutor, a ticket agent for an airline, a front desk clerk at a resort hotel, an assistant to two agents at a Manhattan Literary agency, and a manager of an independent bookstore.
Q: Where are some places you’ve lived?
Let’s see. Maine, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Hudson Valley, NY and New York City (Brooklyn, not Manhattan).
Q: What childhood experiences/memories have been the subjects of your writing?
A: Mostly I write about feelings. I draw extensively on how I remember feeling throughout school. I’ve always been small and thin, (4’11 and 3/4″ !) but I’ve spent a vast amount of my life feeling like the “fat kid” – namely, self-conscious. I try to tap into the extreme ends of the emotional spectrum. I’m not as interested in the stable feelings in the middle. I take the best and worst feelings and try to make those emotions come alive through my characters.
Banned books rock
Q: Have any of your books been banned?
A: Yes. Fat Kid Rules the World has been challenged in several states. In one school district in Virginia, all the kids wore We Support Fat Kid Rules the World bracelets.
To my knowledge, the book has only been truly banned once – in South Carolina. The following year, that same library banned their entire summer reading program. There may have been other instances where the book has been banned, but I don’t always hear about them. Occasionally I’ll be asked to speak to local media if the debate gets heated.
For more information about banned books, check out bannedbooksweek.org.
Q: Where do you write?
A: At the library, at home, anywhere I can!
Merry and Pippin
Q: Do you own any pets? If so, what types? Their names?
A: I have two cats – Merry and Pippin. They are real troublemakers. :-}
Q: What are your favorite pastimes/activities when you are not writing?
A: What? You mean there are activities aside from writing?? Ok* let’s think. Listening to music. Traveling. Taking care of my little boy. I do love to read, although I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like.
Q: What’s your favorite color?
A: Red. Like ketchup.
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
A: My musical preferences are strongly influenced by my mood, so I like a lot of different things. Favorite band is Nirvana (okay, how hard was that to figure out?). I love Iggy Pop, Oasis, a Northampton group called the Nields, Alanis Morisette, Pete Yorn, Van Morrison. These days I listen to a lot of Putamayo children’s CDs.
Q: How did you start writing? Did you always want to be an author?
A: As a kid, I was always writing stories for fun, but I didn’t plan on being an author. I was planning on joining the Peace Corps. Writing was something I did for pleasure. I wrote my first complete book in high school. It was a fantasy novel. After that, I was always working on something. It wasn’t until much later when I got a job in publishing that I first considered submitting my work for publication.
Q: Have any other authors influenced your writing?
A: Definitely. Lloyd Alexander was a huge influence, and I had the privilege of meeting him at his home before he passed away. What a wonderful man! I also love Susan Cooper’s books, and I’m a huge fan of both J.D. Salinger and Jack Kerouac.
Q: Are you planning any sequels to your books?
A: No, sorry! I get asked this all the time, but unfortunately I don’t have any sequels in the works. I prefer to let readers decide for themselves what happens once the book is over.
Q: Are you working on anything new?
A: I currently have a new novel in production that will be released May 2020 and I have three picture books that are being illustrated.
Going, K.L. BIG KIDS Little, Brown (Children's None) $18.99 7, 1 ISBN: 9780316509770
Everything about school seems terrifying, but nothing's as scary as the big kids.
The big kids are loud and, well, big. They play "big-kid games" and smile "big-kid grins." Seen through the young protagonist's impressed and overwhelmed eyes, these kids are larger than life. Making creative use of typography, the text captures the kinds of details that children home in on, like the way the older students' "big feet make big noises, like bass drums beating in a big-kid band." And when they "stand outside, they make l o o o o o n g shadows." The new students are each assigned a buddy, a helpful older student who shows them the ropes. Though initially frightened, the protagonist soon realizes that this big kid isn't scary. He shepherds the narrator to the right classroom, the cafeteria (where his "great big arms stretch so high they reach all the way up to the chocolate pudding"), and the library. Best of all, he helps the protagonist sink a basket on the playground. The digital illustrations are the stars of the show, using exaggerated perspective and proportions to depict the big kids as literal giants who dwarf the protagonist. By day's end, though, both youngsters are normal size, and readers will internalize an important message: These big kids clearly have big hearts. The narrator and the buddy are Black; the supporting cast is diverse.
Just the right size for easing school anxieties.(Picture book. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Going, K.L.: BIG KIDS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A839213125/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e99c6501. Accessed 24 June 2025.
Going, K.L. CAN'T STOP KISSING THAT BABY Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster (Children's None) $19.99 3, 11 ISBN: 9781442434165
Several families share a picnic in the park, full of affection.
As the day begins, Momma ices a cake in a warm, modern kitchen while a dog snoozes nearby; in a shadowed back bedroom, another parent attends to a sleeping tot. Spare and repetitive verse calls for a melodic read-aloud as Momma heads over to the crib: "She can't stop kissing the baby. / Can't stop, / just can't stop. // No, she can't stop kissing the baby." Outside, the couple share a snuggle with their child as they walk a dog, a bicycle, and a stroller along a verdant boulevard. Meanwhile, the bouncy verse continues ("Oh, you've gotta stop kissing that baby") as another couple take their infant to a cafe. The characters vary in skin tone; their hip hairstyles and comfortable-looking clothes make them broadly relatable--and provide a playful, stylized counterpoint to the at-times forceful sweetness of the text. A variety of happy families move through this idyllic neighborhood, watching a soccer game, buying flowers, and taking a turn on the park's swings before gathering at a picnic table. It's a meal full of activity, so it's no wonder the baby from the beginning--now sporting a birthday hat--seems to be asleep in Momma's arms as they head home. "Very best mommas!" the unseen narrator proclaims. "They never run out of those kisses."
A singsong paean to the cuddly days of early childhood.(Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Going, K.L.: CAN'T STOP KISSING THAT BABY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A823102314/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a2b53b11. Accessed 24 June 2025.
Big Kids
K.L. Going, illus. by Reggie Brown. Little, Brown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-316-50977-0
A diminutively scaled narrator reflects on what it means to be a “big kid” in this straightforward account of overcoming first-day fears. On an opening spread, the protagonist expresses their impressions of older youths: “When the big kids stand outside, they make looooong shadows. Those shadows stretch until I think they might reach out and get me.” And on “Buddy Day,” the nervous child shirks from the seemingly enormous figures until reluctantly greeting a persistent—and friendly—buddy. Brown’s painterly digital renderings add visual variability with textures throughout scenes that abundantly amplify the size disparity between the small younger students and the oversize older kids. But while the visuals seem to justify the child’s overwhelm, Going’s text reveals a reassuring story about the many ways an older pal can be a source of assistance. The protagonists are depicted with brown skin; background characters are presented with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 4–8. (July)
Can’t Stop Kissing That Baby
K.L. Going, illus. by Fiona Lee. Beach Lane, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4424-3416-5
Going and Lee spotlight mother-child bonds in this snuggle-inducing story. Rhythmic second-person lines articulate variations on, “Silly momma!/ She so loves kissing the baby./ So loves,/ yes, she just so loves.” Accompanying scenes—rendered in soothing washes of periwinkle, pumpkin, and sage—support with naturalistic depictions of parents of varying skin tones luxuriating in baby hugs all throughout the day as their cherubic charges laugh and smile. As arrayed mothers and babes converge at a park picnic table, the incredulous narrator playfully queries: “Are you still kissing the baby?” And even after a dog and other humans join in, text celebrates the way mommas “never run out of those kisses.” Text and visuals combine for a glowing portrait of doting caregivers. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)