Echo

by Adam Rex, Mark Sanderlin (Narrator)

New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Adam Rex has created a funny and timely conversation starter about how dull life might be if everyone always agreed

Everyone always agrees with Junior, including the mysterious voice from across the valley.

“Junior Junior is the greatest in the world!” he shouts.
“Junior Junior is the greatest in the world!” the echo shouts back.

Until one day, a new girl moves in next door. A disagreeable, rude girl who doesn’t think Junior is right all the time. Unable to stand living next door to someone like that, Junior runs to the valley to meet his echo. But when being around someone who agrees with him all the time is less fun than he imagines, Junior must decide if a new friend is worth admitting he was wrong.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Humor, Childrens, Emotion, Fiction, Storytime

Audible Audio

First published March 18, 2025

About the author

Adam Rex grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, the middle of three children. He was neither the smart one (older brother) or the cute one (younger sister), but he was the one who could draw. He took a lot of art classes as a kid, trying to learn to draw better, and started painting when he was 11. And later in life he was drawn down to Tucson in order to hone his skills, get a BFA from the University of Arizona, and meet his physicist wife Marie (who is both the smart and cute one).

Adam is nearsighted, bad at all sports, learning to play the theremin, and usually in need of a shave. He can carry a tune, if you don't mind the tune getting dropped and stepped on occasionally. He never remembers anyone's name until he's heard it at least three times. He likes animals, spacemen, Mexican food, Ethiopian food, monsters, puppets, comic books, 19th century art, skeletons, bugs, and robots.

Garlic and crosses are useless against Adam. Sunlight has been shown to be at least moderately effective. A silver bullet does the trick. Pretty much any bullet, really.

Reviews

[DaNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cautionary tale of living in an echo chamber. Also, an entertaining story.

Sometimes a picture book can do what a TED talk can’t. I’m hoping to use this to talk with my 6th graders about confirmation bias when we do our unit on media literacy.

[Leigh Collazo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this!! So many applications for MS and HS students about social media echo chambers.

[The Loco Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sure do love Adam Rex books. Rex can make me laugh while learning powerful life lessons.

A boy shouts out his window and his echo always responds, but the boy thinks its another boy far away. When he finally meets a girl who disagrees with him, it makes him angry. How will he learn to cope with disagreements and not always being right?

I enjoyed this story because of the fun illustrations, funny plot with the boy not understanding what an echo is, but he learned a powerful lesson because of his misunderstanding. It's not always fun when someone agrees with everything you say or do: disagreements are learning moments.

I enjoyed the girl who told him he was wrong in a respectful way. The dialogue between the characters is humorous and witty. I like how Adam Rex doesn't fill each page with too much text, but just the right amount.

I highly recommend this story. It will be a great read aloud for elementary students to show them the power of learning with disagreeing.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m probably being a bit of a prude here, but the recommended ages for this books are 4-8, but I don’t use words like “idiot” to refer to someone we “don’t like” around my 4 year old.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful for social emotional awareness. This book was an almost for me. The main character uses the word “idiot,” which didn’t add to the plot line.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you lived on a tall mountain with a steep trail you might not want to come down to play. But the boy hears another child nearby on a mountain out of reach. The other child has her own ideas looking into the sky as she echoes. They don't agree on what is up above and neither will change.They shout things across the two mountains it echos. One of them tries to find the other and see her mountain. I am wondering what children will think about climbing another mountain to play with someone who may not want to do what you want to do.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Junior Junior was born in a big house on the side of a mountain...and the echo was born soon after.

Premise/plot: Junior Junior's 'best friend' is the echo on the other side of the mountain who always, always echoes exactly what he says....and nothing else. Is it a perfect friendship? No. It depends on what Junior Junior says to start the conversation! For example, when he says MINE! it can lead to misunderstanding. When a girl moves in across the street, Junior Junior struggles with this 'new' company. She does not repeat after him or echo his words and sentiments. She has a mind of her own. Can Junior Junior make peace with this new potential-friend?

My thoughts: One of the 'rules' (more like guidelines really) is that you review the book in hand and not the book you wish it was. Such is the case with Echo. I thought the concept had potential. I did. I didn't "love" the illustrations. (Illustrations are subjective, of course, you may absolutely love them). The narrative was interesting, for the most part. It also uses the word 'idiot' as an insult. This may or may not bother parents.

Personally, I was wanting the echo to be a literal echo. There is still a chance that it is an imaginary friend only. But it's depicted as a literal kid on the other side of the mountain. (Again, maybe imaginary maybe not). The Echo-friend is just as lifeless as you imagine, but dressed differently then Junior Junior so not a reflection. [Though upon further reflection, the book cover makes it look like the echo IS a reflection. Still this isn't reflected *in* the illustrations of the book. Again, possibly an imaginary friend or a weird plot choice to have the Echo be actual person.]

The message is the same anyway: new neighbor girl is a better friend because she has a voice and opinion and echo-kid is not.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up is never easy. We find out we aren't always right, or even the best at something and that can be difficult. Having an each is nice when it affirms everything you want it too.

Junior lives on the side of a mountain and when he was born, his echo was born on the other side of the mountain. At first, he think the echo is a challenge and then the echo is awesome. At least, until a girl moves in next door. She's nothing like the echo. She has her own opinions. She loves building sand castles.

Eventually, the boy goes to the valley and meets the echo. I love that the story gives people room to grow and change. Sometimes, as people, it takes time to change how we think, but it can happen. People are capable of learning new things. I like that.

The artwork is lovely. I just love it. It's digital.

I think kids will love this funny and quirky story.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased because I love anything Adam Rex does, but this one was arguably my favorite yet. Junior Junior is born on the side of a mountain and on the opposite mountain is his echo that agrees with everything he says. One day a plucky girl moves in next door and dares to correct Junior Junior. He demands she apologizes, but she disagrees. She should not have to apologize when she has done nothing wrong. Frustrated he sets out to find his echo, meeting in the valley between the mountains. They toss rocks, play in the river, until Junior Junior realizes that his echo isn't very fun after all. He returns and apologizes to the girl, Sandy, and they create sandcastles together. I also just absolutely love that Sandy is a little chunky girl, as a chunky girl myself I always love to see us represented. I would recommend this for K-2nd grade.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junior Junior was born in a house on the side of the mountain with another mountain very close by. When he cried it echoed. As he grew the echo replied from across the valley to everything Junior Junior said. He got very good at shouting good things about himself and liked hearing them echoed. But when a neighbor moves in, and it's a girl who doesn't agree with everything he says, Junior leaves home to find Echo.

Honestly, I can't get enough of Adam Rex, his stories are funny and so cleverly illustrated. I loved the characters, the neighbor girl, and the Nanny are so fun. Junior Junior is spoiled - maybe by himself. A super fun read aloud that I'm highly recommending. The characters are white.

[TheRetiredSchoolLibrarian |Mrs. Ferraris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Junior Junior grew up on the side of a mountain and made friends with the echo. He loved that they agreed on everything he said. One day, a girl on the mountain across from him told him to stop shouting. She did not agree with everything he said. Junior Junior decides to run away to the valley to meet the echo and decides he doesn't like someone who agrees with everything he says. Will he be friends with the girl on the hill even when she points out that he can be wrong at times?

Comments: I loved the humor in this book!

Great read aloud to emphasize manners, emotions, and how to agree to disagree.

The illustrations were created digitally in Procreate and Photoshop.

Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junior Junior's home was on the side of a mountain and his echo lived on a nearby mountain across the valley. Whenever Junior Junior yelled across the valley, his echo would repeat the message. Junior Junior liked having someone who always agreed with him, especially after an opinionated girl who sometimes challenged him, moved in next door. So Junior Junior runs away to find his echo. However, Junior Junior learns that it can get "tiresome" to have someone always agree with you even when you are wrong. An entertaining picture book with a great message that "real friends" don't always have to think you're right.

"Silly -- there was nothing wrong with being wrong."

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.

This book shows us the downsides to being spoiled as a child in an imaginative way. I love how the nature of the echo becomes a sycophant for Junior Junior and even though he is rude to his new neighbor, she is never angry or rude back. The illustrations are charming and I love the slow, thoughtful progress of Junior Junior learning it isn’t best to be “right” all the time and maybe those who aren’t afraid to point out our faults are the true friends indeed.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junior's perfect friend is the echo he hears yelling outside his window, affirming that everything Junior does and says is PERFECT. When a new girl moves in and does not flatter him by agreeing with every word he says, or responding only with a "hmmmm" when he exaggerates beyond reality, Junior fumes and stomps, until he finally comes to a realization about his echo. The illustrations by the author are comical but not cartoonish, with detailed expressions that convey Junior's range of emotions as he reveals his narcissism.

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (I liked it)

I thought I was going to like this more than I did. I liked the concept of the Echo friend but it became kind of weird when it was an actual human (as another reviewer said, it might have been an imaginary friend but I thought the story just lost something when the echo materialized). I did like the message about how friends don't have to agree with everything to be a good friend.

One thing that kind of bothered me is the dialogue that wasn't in a speech bubble OR in quotes.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young boy named Junior is used to the sound of his own voice as his only companion as he lives in a house in a canyon. When he meets a young girl who disagrees with his thoughts about the planet Mars, he decides to pack up and run away. He meets up with his echo but quickly tires of his company. He decides it's not so bad to be wrong sometimes and he heads home to apologize for his behavior to his new friend.

A rather long, convoluted and boring story.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy likes that his friend Echo says whatever he says back to him, and basically agrees with him all the time. But when a new girl moves in across the street he realizes that maybe having someone agree with you all the time is kinda boring, and not very exciting. Loved the lesson that sometimes a friend disagrees with you, and that's what makes having a friend fun and you learn from them.

[Grace Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Rex does it again! (I, and my students, loved On Account of the Gum!) Now, we have Junior Junior who has life pretty sweet, including a great friend on the other side of the valley who agrees with everything he says. Life gets more complicated when a new neighbor moves in and his point-of-view gets challenged.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raised in an echo chamber by an absent father and a distracted mother, a little narcissist faces a rude awakening when he discovers that he was the sort of fool who always had to be right about everything as if there were nothing wrong about being wrong. Cute illustrations suggest that the little monster will remain in his echo chamber, shouting at himself with nobody listening.

[Ann Haefele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam Rex has written a book for all ages. Young kids will enjoy the story about a boy who thinks his echo is real and is his greatest admirer, while learning to admit when he’s wrong. It can also be used with older students about being cautious on where your info comes from and be willing to listen to different opinions.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the president's face constantly and wincingly in view, I thought this was going to be a political commentary based on the appearance of the over confident and self centered main character. Turns out he's just a kid who doesn't understand how echoes work. Initially. Eventually he meets a real person who disagrees with him and they become friends anyway. Okey dokey.

[Aolund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for reading and discussing with an older group of students-- older elementary/middle school. An effective exploration of echo chambers, what friendship really means, humility, learning, etc.

Themes: Agreeing/Disagreeing, Confirmation Bias, Assumptions, Friendship, We're All the Same/We're All Different
Age range: Upper Elementary-Middle School

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read an advance copy through Edelweiss, the book will be released in March 2025. I'm a big fan of Adam Rex's books, this wasn't one of my favorites of his but it could be used for a social skills lesson.

[Mrs Heidrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss for the digital review copy.

This is a book that I think some kids will really connect to and some good SEL conversation may come out of it even with slightly older kids. Not one of my fav Adam Rex books though.

Rounded up to 3.5

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been thinking about this book for days. I had to read it again. It’s a little creepy. But I suppose it is good to have picture books to help kids recognize when they’ve been a jerk? And how to make amends.

Thank you for the sneak peek Random House!

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is fine. I mean it goes to show what would occur if we all agreed (it would be very boring). And it is better to have friends that challenge us. I know that I, for one, am grateful to have friends such as those!

My bigger issue is how long this book is =(

[GS Dachslove · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute concept. Boy is only friends with his echo, which always agrees with him. When a girl moves in next door and doesn't just repeat back what he says, he has to adjust and discovers that friendship can be great even when you disagree sometimes.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun premise, but then it went off in a different direction that didn't satisfy me as much as I'd hoped. I really missed the quotations marks and can't understand why they were left out of the text.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

We often think we want to surround ourselves by like-minded people, but then we realize you don't really grow or learn when steeped in an echo chamber. This book could be used throughout middle and high school to talk about echo chambers!

[Alison Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that the concept of this book was very interesting and I liked that it offers the message that we all have differencing opinion, thoughts, and such but that doesn't mean we still can't be friends, even if we don't agree.