Jayden Noticed
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Feb 3, 2026
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- $12.99
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- Pre-Order
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
With the help of a rock he’s collected, a child moving to a new house learns to embrace change and make a like-minded friend in this story celebrating our most thoughtful little observers. Jayden notices everything. He notices the way the moon looks different every night as it peeks through the oak tree. He notices spiderweb wheels and egg freckles, mouse paws and rose petals. But most of all, Jayden notices rocks. Jayden collects a rock to go with everything: a homework rock, a Saturday rock, even enough wishing rocks to fill up a jar. But now that he and his family have moved to a different house, where the trees are too short, the color is off, and the mailbox is in the wrong place, will he find a rock to grant him courage—and help him make a new friend, maybe even a noticer like him? In a tender story for curious and observant little readers, Carolyn Crimi’s text joins with Shamar Knight-Justice’s expressive illustrations in a tale that offers comfort in the face of life’s many changes.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This grounding story from Crimi (Secondhand Dogs) and Knight-Justice (Big Boy Joy) features a keenly perceptive child whose special interest helps him navigate a house move. Crisp text introduces Jayden as "a noticer"—"He noticed web wheels and egg freckles. Tree knuckles and frog songs. Mouse paws and rose petals." The protagonist also finds comfort in a rock collection that variously includes a "thinking rock," a "fort-building rock," and a jar of "wishing rocks" that represent prior, presumably successful, hopes, including for friendship. Jayden isn't ready for his family's move to a new home, but upon arrival, his mood lifts with the discovery of another wishing rock (small and brown with a "river of sparkle" running through it). And he soon puts it to use when encountering a possible playmate, a kindred spirit whose presence encourages Jayden to embrace the new residence with optimism. Musical scores, newsprint, and more peek through mottled color in airbrush-textured digital renderings. Sensitive storytelling empathically captures Jayden's experiences, yielding a supportive story about finding rock-solid stability amid life change. Characters are portrayed with varying brown skin tones. Ages 3–7. Author's agent: Stephanie Fretwell-Hill, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator's agent: Christy Ewers, CAT Agency.
