Cute, vibrant and painterly, Little Echo wreathes a powerful story in murky stylistic pictures and text additions. The story has layers: Little Echo could be equated to people who find it hard to speak up, or share their own thoughts. Max and Echo's relationship reflects the importance of listening and caring for one another.

The pivot on page 16 feels sharp and a bit harsh. On the page, it says: "This was a very disappointing thought. A TERRIBLE and disappointing thought" and then jumps to "'Do you want to play something else?' said Max".. In the interest of allowing children space to linger in their feelings, however uncomfortable, I would've liked to seen a page break between the two paragraphs. Even having that page turn gives the inherent pause, indirectly stating it's okay to feel hard feelings and really feel them.
No extra illustrations would be needed. The "....NOTHING" page could be the cream blank background, and the next page would start with "'Do you want to play something else?"" and then have the little drawing of Max and Little Echo on the rock in the corner.

The final reveal at the end was cute. I'd encourage young students to read this book and have a larger conversation about speaking up/shyness, uncomfortable emotions, disappointment, hidden expectations and "how life goes" around it. Even if I was teaching a mental health class at a community college, this book could be helpful in starting a conversation off. Either way, it's a good addition to a children's literature section in a library.

Little Echo doesn't have a voice of his own, he's always too afraid to do anything but repeat the things that others say. But, when it really matters, he finds the strength and conviction to use his voice and it leads him to the best treasure of all. I LOVED this book! The characterization was darling and Echo's large ears won my heart. The illustrations were so vibrant and symbolic of the message. The swirling colors and bold shapes! Breathtaking! What a wonderful message in a sweet little book! I'd happily add this to my classroom library, and it would make a great read aloud!

Little Echo is a great story about a small creature who is shy and lives in fear but desperately wants to find their way out. While watching over a boy named Max from the shadows they find their voice and their bravery and learn that they are stronger than they knew and that they no longer need to live in the shadows. It’s a great story for young kids. The illustration are different and fun.

Cute illustrations in a story about being brave and making friends, with a final message about the value of friendship.

I received an electronic ARC from Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley.
Highly detailed illustrations support this story by Rodin. Little Echo is quiet and shy. They want to join the others in the cave but fear holds them back. When a boy named Max comes treasure hunting, Little Echol finds her courage and saves Max. Together, they discover that the real treasure is friendship.
Charming story and a fun family read.

Little Echo boosts beautiful and complex illustrations It also provides a simple story of finding friendship. Overall, the plot is a little too simple and left me wanting to more of a story to hold onto as I went through the text.