Ik had op een gegeven moment echt wel door dat slim zijn duizend dingen is, en ik vroeg me af of we echt naar duizend dingen gingen. A necessary and joyful celebration of all the different things that we can do, from ‘reading, writing, spelling’ to ‘caring, sharing, scaring’ to my personal favourite ‘drawing very pointy stars’. A necessary and joyful celebration of all the different things that we can do, from "reading, writing, spelling" to "caring, sharing, scaring" to my personal favourite "drawing very pointy stars".

So as a teacher, I’ve always been super sensitive to use the word “smart” because it carries so much weight. Colpoys' illustrations, showing a busy, multiracial, multi-gifted cast, convey joyous variety and abundant compassion. Joyful and vibrant … Allison Colpoys’ illustrations shimmer with movement and vivacity, with her loose-line illustrations and selective colour palette exuding a nostalgic retro charm. One of the most pivotal messages that children need to hear and illustrated with a brilliant spectrum of colours that leap from the page and right into the heart.

Simple, flowing words coupled with fluorescent illustrations (created from ink, charcoal, and pencil, then digitally assembled) give young readers a book brimming with examples of how they are smart all day, every day … Realistic illustrations show children of varying racial presentations joining sentient animals and benign, hairy monsters to confidently explore their world, real and imagined. One of the most pivotal messages that children need to har and illustrated with a brilliant spectrum of colours that leap from the page and right into the heart. This book celebrates the myriad ways one can be smart--knowing the right thing to say, being welcoming to a shy friend, using your imagination, taking chances.

From the award-winning creators of The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade and Under the Love Umbrella comes this joyful ode to all the unique and wonderful qualities that make children who they are.The energy of Bell’s rhyming couplets reflects the very inventiveness the book celebrates, the ebullience of kids’ imagination, emotional intelligence and practical talents.

A joyful, sensitive and compassionate book with superb illustrations that represent diversity and difference. The rhyming text describes the many different kinds of activities and personal qualities that require intelligence, thereby highlighting that there are many different kinds of smarts, while the colorful artwork depicts those activities and qualities. Colpoys’ illustrations, showing a busy, multiracial, multi-gifted cast, convey joyous variety and abundant compassion. All the Ways to Be Smart by Davina Bell explores multiple intelligences in a way that small children can understand and appreciate. Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys have done it again, following up the absolutely beautiful 'Under the Love Umbrella' with this gem!A lover of words and ideas in many forms, Davina regularly travels the country, speaking to children and adults about books and writing. Having greatly enjoyed Captain Starfish, I was eager to pick up All the Ways to Be Smart, which has a bright, colorful cover that drew me right in.