Have you ever been too busy being warm and cozy inside your fuzziest blanket to notice the person next to you? This little kid has. They call it their blanket cocoon and not only provide instructions on how a reader can create one of their own, but also relate to the levels of fear and excitement and imagination that factor into emerging from the blanket cocoon as, perhaps, a "blanketfly" (Or a blanket cat. Or a blanket bunny.). The story is told from the first person point of view of a cotton-candy-haired and charmingly gender-neutral toddler, and its illustrations have the recognizable feel of Brantz's well-known feminist cartoons with the wonderful textural complexity of a blanket collaged out of photographed fabric. While the intended age of the audience is unclear--the main character has the visual appearance of a swaddled baby, the emotional reactions of a toddler, and the physical dexterity of a preschooler, and then discusses metamorphosis with the intellect of an elementary schooler--there will certainly be some who find appeal in this simple story.

A seriously swaddled child invites readers to explore the transformative power of a blanket. Wrapped up in a tweedy blanket, a wide-eyed child with beige skin and a shock of pale blond hair greets readers with a surprised "hello" and adds, "I was too busy being warm and cozy inside my FUZZIEST blanket" to notice anyone. Describing the blanket wrapping as a "blanket cocoon," the child explains how cocoons provide protective coverings for certain insects, giving them a "safe place to become their grown-up selves in." The child urges readers to quietly observe a caterpillar spin its cocoon, disappear inside, and eventually emerge an amazing butterfly. Wondering if readers would "like to be inside a blanket cocoon just like me," the child deftly demonstrates how to roll up inside a favorite blanket. Once inside a blanket cocoon, readers can snuggle, wiggle, feel safe and warm, and close their eyes to imagine traveling through space, running in a rainforest, hunkering inside an igloo, or swimming beneath the ocean waves. Leaving the security of a blanket cocoon might seem scary, but it's exciting because "we could BE ANYTHING!" The bold, chunky, hand-lettered text reinforces the immediacy of the child narrator's lively conversation with readers. Dynamic illustrations rely on simple shapes, expressive close-ups, and hilarious shots of the ebullient child, cleverly turning the blanket cocoon into a metaphor for the process of growing up. An engaging, energetic, amusing, and affirming must for blanket lovers. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.