HAZEL IS ALL THAT: Learning Like a Little One

ROCKY POND BOOKS, 2025

Spend a few minutes with HAZEL, of HAZEL IS ALL THAT, written and illustrated by Chad Otis. Hazel is that bespectacled little girl on the cover, surrounded by dogs, wearing an ambiguous expression. So, too, are some of the dogs. This vibrant new picture book is awash with color and action,  with "dog talk" sometimes offering page-covering onomatopoetic power. The first dog Hazel encounters erupts with repeated 

RRAAARP! 

RRAAARP! 

RRAAARP! 

RRAAARP!

Hazel's reaction is no surprise, and her label of "bad dog" fits with a reader's reactions. As Hazel and her adult proceed through the park, she encounters a dog who is good, another who is tough, and another who is naughty. All are labels used by Hazel based on observation of behaviors, body types, and ...

her own assumptions. 

Hazel does what we all do. Or, more fairly, I'll speak for myself. This "little one", trying to figure out her world and apply labels she's learning, does what an old human like me is inclined to do-- jump to conclusions. Without asking, without further observation, without having any real need to assign labels to others. 

Midway through, Hazel's dropped ice cream sends her cycling through the many emotional states she had observed in the park pets: angry, naughty, sad, embarrassed, and happy again. This wise young Hazel realizes that she can be ALL THAT, allowing her to notice that the conclusions she had draw about dogs are incomplete, at best. All those dogs can also be "all that". A plot development in theconclusing pages will tug at readers' hearts and also reminds us that emotional states are rarely one-offs. We can be scared and angry and "good" at the same time, in varying amounts.

This minimal-text, maximal meaning picture book combines loose-lined, splashy illustrations reminiscent of  Chris Raschka's "Daisy" books with the heart of THE HAPPINESS OF A DOG WITH A BALL IN ITS MOUTH by Bruce Handy and Hyewon Yum. I relished the yellow glasses throughout, symbolic of the open-eyed perspective of a little one in a big world. Hazel was taking everything in, processing prior learning and applying it (especially those ambiguous emotional labels) to the patterns she observed. 

Again, rather than say "we all do that at every age",  I'll just admit I am thinking of myself. It is such a challenge NOT to turn brief observations into instantaneous judgments. No matter how aware I try to be of that tendency, it takes a story like this to remind me of this trend in my nature. I need to STEP BACK. To pledge to be as open-eyed as Hazel became. When "evidence" appears that someone is a certain way, that should be my signal to consider what MANY ways that person could be feeling or thinking or what they could be dealing with. Perhaps a sour facial expression is inadvertent evidence of physical pain. On a day of immeasurable happiness anyone can be caught with a wave of regret, or missing someone, or longing of some other kind.. 

Jumping to conclusions rarely lands us on solid ground. HAZEL IS ALL THAT is a colorful, action-packed picture book that serves social-emotional learning on every level. Noting visual clues that triggered Hazel's initial responses offers an important exercise for youngest audiences, as is dealing with her own "meltdown" midway through the book. The astute insight she achieves about emotions being complex and multi-layered presents yet another discussion point for early learners. And, may I say, a reminder to me and others who are decades away from being "littles" that Hazel's awareness, her outreach to notice the emotions of others, and her ability to self-correct are lessons we never outgrow.