An Adorable toddler book, with interesting animation and a funny story. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and my son was laughing the whole time.

This is an adorable book about a girl and her dad going to their neighbor, Olive's, birthday party. As they go up in the elevator, many more people get on the elevator with them. There are so many bright and wonderful colors in this book and the illustrations are on point and attract the reader's eye. Honestly, that many people shouldn't have gotten on the elevator together - they probably maxed out the weight limit - but it is super cute and Olive is not who I expected her to be!

This book is fabulous for showing a sense of community in a tower block of flats/appartments. People and dogs of all ages join in the party fun with their friends and family to celebrate their friends birthday all together bringing their own treats to the party to share together.



The illustrations brought the story to life and I loved how the characters had a pencil sketch and coloured in feel about them too.



It was a great read that'll teach children about sharing, caring and helping others especially those in the same community.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

This book features families of many kinds getting on to an elevator to attend a birthday party in an apartment building - the people and the families that get on are all happy and diverse. There is representation for different kinds of families and many skin colors, as well as diversity in last names. The illustrations are detailed enough that my child had fun searching for things, and it could create interesting conversations for older students. The words were simple and repetitive, and lend themselves to making inferences and predictions.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This sweet-natured picture book's premise is simple: it's Olive's birthday, and Olive lives way up on the ten floor of Sophie's apartment building. There's even a party to celebrate, and Sophie and her dad have made some cookies to take upstairs. Like most kids, Sophie loves elevators, and readily pushes the button for the tenth floor, but on the way the elevator stops at every floor heading up and a new neighbor - or set of neighbors - gets on, bearing treats or decorations for Olive's party as well! Soon the elevator goes from crowded to packed to overstuffed, nearly bursting with color and laughter (thanks to Charlene Chua's wonderful artwork) and people and pets, as everyone heads up to celebrate Olive's birthday - in the end, the reader finally finding out who the very popular Olive is. This charming and lively book should easily appeal to young kids, especially those living in bigger cities because Chua's illustrations beautifully reflect the multicultural diversity one can expect living in such an apartment building. Full of life, love and good food, Going Up! is a picture book that reflects a world where everyone belongs, and everyone is called a friend. (Note: the book itself is taller and narrower than your average picture book, giving even more of an impression of a rising elevator.) (Available April 7th) 4/5 stars

NOTE: I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. There's clearly a lot of diversity and it doesn't feel like it was there for the sake of diversity. I think it truly represents a city and the diverse people who live there. I think it'll be great for a story time and dialogic reading between a child and adult.

I loved this book! When the elevator opened on each floor, out popped a new and diverse crew of people.

Sophie and her father ride the elevator to the 10th floor for Olive’s birthday. The elevator makes a few stops along the way as they pick up other partygoers. With each floor, the excitement grows!

I loved that the author represented a variety of cultures and backgrounds in this book. The bright illustrations provide funny details and reflect the party vibe. Children will love guessing who gets on next!

Generally elevators catch imagination of little kids. They love to go up and down in it. With appropriate company and precautions kids love to play the game of elevator.
This cute story is about a building, people living in it, a giant elevator and a planned birthday party.
It is a cozy story decorated by vivid colorful artwork.
Different people from different cultural background assemble at 10th floor to celebrate a birthday.
With them they bring their best gifts and eatables.
Our main character a little girl, finds it so interesting and is very happy.
A simple vocabulary that little tots can read themselves.
A lovely little kids fiction that is absolutely adorable.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

There’s a party for Olive on the 10th floor, and Sophie and her dad are going up! Olive is popular—the elevator stops at every floor, and Sophie tells us who’s getting on and what they’re bringing. Families of many configurations and origins bringing treats like gulab jamun pile in. “Going up!” is a repeated refrain after each floor. Somehow, everyone fits and arrives at Olive’s party, where we learn from the illustration that Olive is a dog and her human is a young woman in a wheelchair. That refrain will be fun for storytime, the bright and exuberant illustrations are festive, and I’ve never seen such a diverse collection of human characters portrayed in a book that isn’t itself *about* “all are welcome”/diversity. It was definitely noticeable, but didn’t seem forced—or if a little forced, believably so. Grateful to have received a digital preview via #netgalley

A very cute book about all of the neighbors in an apartment building as they are making their way from the 1st to the top floor on the elevator. The illustrations are adorable and kids will love this one!

Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee is an adorable book about love within a community.

Sophie and her dad were invited to a birthday party on the 10th floor of their building. They decide to make their favorite cookies to celebrate a fun occasion. On each floor, the elevator stops and new neighbors enter the elevator. By the 10th floor, the elevator is packed, and everyone is excited to get the birthday party started!

Going Up! is a picture book that celebrates diversity. Each floor contains new neighbors with unique backgrounds and cultures. They are celebrated and loved whenever the elevator door opens.

In addition to the beautiful story of celebrating differences, Going Up has bright and cheerful illustrations. They match the energy and love between the characters. They were a perfect blend of the message and the setting to make a beautiful image of the text.

Sophie and her Dad are invited to Olive's birthday party.  They get ready by dressing up and making food to bring with them.  When it is time to attend the party, how do they get there?  They go by elevator!  


As Sophie and her dad make their way to the tenth floor, the elevator gets pretty crowded!  Young listeners will enjoy the exuberant illustrations as everyone squeezes in.  When they arrive, there is a good party.


That's it.  This is a simple but fun book that young listeners will enjoy.  The illustrations show a diverse group of people who enjoy being together.  That is an added bonus of this title that is geared toward young children.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this cute read in exchange for an honest review

I thought that this was a fun book, it was easy to follow and the images were good
I liked the mix of characters that were in the story too
It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

Sophia and her father are making their way up to the 10th floor of their building for a birthday party. The elevator picks up a plethora of neighbors along the way, revealing a building full of very different people.

There is a lot of diversity in this book, which is always refreshing. The names of some of the neighbors really match their eclectic nature and the little twist at the end is cute.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Sophie and her Dad are invoted to a birthday party on the tenth floor of their block of flats. They take a lift which stops almost on every floor and more and more people from their wonderful multicultural community get in. The book made me think about my own neighbourhood and its great diversity.
The stoy is very simple, but it is a sweet and happy one, where people from different ethnithities, religions, gender, age and ability love and support each other.It is important to read books like this to our children, because they reflect our life.
There are fantastic details e.g. one of the Santucci brothers ( rocker guys) has a very cute T-shirt with yarn and knitting needles. The colours are lovely and cheerful- they render the experience of the little girl anticipating the birthday party and her happiness at seeing her neighbours.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Going Up by Sherry J. Lee. This was a great kids book! Kept your attention the whole way thru. My daughter loved this book as she loves elevators. She now asks how many people we can fit into an elevator after reading this book when we come upon a new elevator in our travels. I love that the reading on each page wasn’t long as sometimes children do not have much of an attention span! Can’t wait for this book in the new year! See my review on Instagram @heathersbookaddiction

A sweet and fun little story with great storytime potential for little ones. Great inclusion represented on the page!

ARC COPY...It was beautiful...A seemingly simple ride up to elevator showcases the different kinds of people and cultures within the community of a single apartment building plus the colourful illustrations are vibrant too!

This is the author's debut book and it is a wonderful one. Sophie and her dad Leonard have been invited to Olive's birthday party and together they bake cookies for the occasion. The party is happening on the 10th floor party room so it will be easy-peazy to get there... just hop on the elevator outside their door and push button # 10. Going up!

Dad allows Sophie to push the button because that is her favourite part of the ride. As the elevator ascends more and more people squish inside. There are all sorts of sizes, ages, shapes, and nationalities heading UP and guess what? They all know each other. The diversity of the crowd is awesome. It seems the entire apartment building has gotten an invitation to this fabulous party. When not one more person ( or pet, musical instrument, yummy food, or gift ) can wiggle in... voilà they arrive at floor #10 and spill out into the hallway arriving at their destination.

When you discover who the birthday girl is I'm sure it will cause some giggles. The illustrations are simply fantastic. They are colourful, full of detail and expression and accentuate the vibe of a fun-loving, super happy group of people partying heartily. I love how the book highlights the sense of community and the importance of acceptance from all the people who gather there. Not only is this a great book for home use but I recommend it for classrooms and libraries. The book's tall, narrow trim size adds to the effect of the rising elevator. Highly recommended by Storywraps.