A series of familiar people and objects leads the brown-skinned narrator through their afternoon routine in this cheerful story. Running down the steps after school, the child is greeted by their mom and dogs. “I see PEPPER / Next to PEANUT / Next to MAMA!” Walking home through their urban neighborhood, the child observes big and small details. Looking down, they see a chalk drawing next to tiny plants in the sidewalk cracks, and in the sky there’s “a PUFFY CLOUD / Next to an AIRPLANE.” Childlike descriptors are used (“spinny clothes” at the laundromat, “big kids” playing basketball, the “big hole” of a construction site), and occasional happy exclamations break up the list of sights (“Let’s go!” “We’re home!” “Yum!”). When they get home, there’s Papa cooking dinner (“BROCCOLI / Next to NOODLES / Next to DUMPLINGS”). Then it’s time for bath and a bedtime story, where “cozy in my bed / I feel SOFT / Next to SOFT / Next to SOFT.” Colorful, appealing paint-and-collage illustrations depict an after-school routine that will be recognizable to many readers.

This joyful and soothing read-aloud, about noticing all the wonderful things around you, is a bedtime gem that's illustrated in gorgeous cut-paper collages by husband-and-wife team Sophia Haas and New York Times Best Illustrated winner Daniel Salmieri.

A walk home from school is an opportunity to observe all the happy details along the way: puffy clouds next to an airplane, the twisty slide next to swinging swings, a backhoe next to a big hole. When you really take the time to observe, there are so many interesting things to see in every moment of every day. What's next to you?

From school to home, afternoon to bedtime, this cheerful book invites children to look closely and with delight at the objects all around them.