Beautiful photograph! The body language and look on the boy's face is priceless. The off-center composition works very well also. One question, did you use a tripod?
It's great to see two very similar images that work on such different emotional levels. He seems a little tentative here, and this feels more "documentary" than the other. He could be a street urchin somewhere (though the polar bear sweater suggests otherwise!) The other he's a bit more engaged with the viewer (or the photographer) Sometimes, it really comes down to the function of the image. Is it a document? a portrait? a snap? In any case, each will be a treasure to his parents, and his kids. Thanks for posting, Jessica!
Thanks! He's my little guy and sometimes he's hard to get to cooperate. This building is a block away from my studio so we were close by and mommy wanted to scout out the location for future use! LOL! So, I made Carson hang out for pics. He is pretty good at accomodating his mom (for a 4 year old anyway).