I Feel Five! by Bethanie Deeney Murguia (review)

On the eve of his fifth birthday, Fritz contemplates being five, certain that milestone will feel very different, and he anticipates the many things his new age will bring: losing a tooth, tying his shoes, learning to snap his fingers. Fritz is disappointed to find that he feels pretty much the same the next day (“First thing, Fritz checks his teeth. Not even a wiggle”), but when a little girl on the playground asks for his help reaching apples in the nearby tree, Fritz soars into the air and successfully procures two perfect apples, “and when he takes a bite, Fritz is quite sure that one of his teeth wiggles, just a bit.” Murguia has perfectly captured the child perspective here, and Fritz’s trials and tribulations will be easily recognizable to young listeners. The idea that the feeling of five comes not with a quiet reflection but with an action is convincing and effective, and the independent apple-picking is a tidy callback to the opening spread, where Fritz’s father must lift him up to grab apples from a fruit-filled tree. The line and watercolor illustrations pair tidy linework with muted, somewhat autumnal palette, awash with dusty reds, pale yellows, and washed-out blues in airy compositions; gently varied compositions add rhythm, and spare draftsmanship is still plenty accessible as Fritz works through his problem. Those who, like Fritz, feel five (or thereabouts) will greatly appreciate this birthday tale.