A Boy Like You by Frank Murphy (2019) is an example of how picture books have turned preachy. If you’re looking for a teaching text to accompany some kind of social-emotional classroom, this could be it. There’s no story here, just an illustrated rules of the road for the perfect child. Kayla Harren’s illustrations are nice enough for a to-do list. This is a large book with cover art that falsely implies this will be a story about some neighborhood or classroom of children. It’s not. It’s about the boy front and center with a puppy by his side. Apparently he is the role model for all the children behind him.
