I Wonder

July 22, 2019
In the spirit of Jostein Gaarder’s Questions Asked and Mac Barnett’s Just Because, Holt (From You to Me) celebrates children’s bold questions with some of her own, reveling in the pursuit of knowledge that has little to do with pure logic. Some questions are whimsical (“Is cereal afraid of the spoon?”); others feel profound or mind opening (“Could there be a galaxy in my belly button?”). Where the text offers humor, it’s understated: a boy holds his hand out to catch a beam of light, a quiet grin on his face: “Why don’t shadows smile when you smile?” Similarly, atmospheric spreads by Pak (The Hundred-Year Barn) portray interiors, wild places, and fantasy scenes with layers of gauze-like tints. Even when the musing is playful—“I wonder if dragonflies dog-paddle”—Pak resists simple caricature, for example offering a delicate close-up of the dragonflies hovering over a pond. Though the ruminations build to little more than a series of questions, a lovely mood and an affectionate ending affirmation send the book’s cast, and its readers, off to joyful contemplation. Ages 3–7.

August 1, 2019
Kids ponder philosophy and nature. Lying in an attic bed in the opening spread's bottom left corner, a child wonders, "What if the sun is really a kite?" Outside the house, kites zoom up, while far across the pinkish-gray sky, an understated sun glows--with a kite string hanging from it. A multiracial cast of children, one using a wheelchair, pose questions that are their own point--no answers required. Some address nature, like dragonflies or grasshoppers. Some are playful: "Could there be a galaxy in my belly button?" asks a child who observes tiny planets and stars orbiting at waist level. Sadness is here too: "Why don't shadows smile when you smile?" The child wondering that question is smiling, but the picture is so dark, it's hard to discern. One tender theme involves concern for inanimate items, such as whether cereal fears spoons, whether toys mind being alone or shoes are sad to be outgrown, and whether teddy bears cry. (This teddy does shed a tear.) One spread asks, "Do windmills ever get tired?" and then "Where are all the unicorns hiding?" In the illustration, a muddy, melancholy green dominates the turbine-covered rolling hills and a minuscule pink unicorn subtly emerges. Pak's artwork is delicate and serious, echoing shapes and colors across a spread to forge connections. Pensive and muted: the quiet side of wondering. (Picture book. 4-8)

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October 7, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Young children wonder aloud about the mysteries of life that surround them, such as, do dragonflies dog-paddle, does a grasshopper take hopping lessons, and what do clouds taste like? Answers to these questions are not provided but readers will be inspired to consider these and other such thought-provoking and often humorous queries. A beautifully diverse cast of characters ponders the mysteries of the universe in simple text and soft, soothing, and creative illustrations. Told in a series of "I wonder" statements and one-line questions, the simple story line covers a wide span of topics and will foster conversation between readers and listeners. The illustrations are created with mixed media, including watercolor, pencil, collage, ink, and digital media and set the tone of wonder and delight. Readers will feel validated by the fact that it is not only okay to ask questions, but also is encouraged and welcomed. VERDICT A delicately illustrated picture book that embraces curiosity and wonderment.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
Preschool-K Children, with their fresh takes on life, look at the everyday in ways most adults don't. With a minimal text, this book captures kids' ability to poke holes in conventional thinking. Some of the questions are clever: "do tires get tired?" Some are more esoteric: "I wonder what clouds taste like." There are musings about the natural world ("where do stars go at night?"), and observations that are just plain funny ("I wonder if cars and trucks speak the same language"). One line of text to a page leaves plenty of room for the evocative collage-style artwork. Many of the pages, especially those that feature questions about nature, have an expansive look, but other pictures are incredibly detailed. The query about tires appears on a two-page spread of roads crowded with cars and trucks driving around in every direction. A diverse array of children populate a number of pages, and when the final observation is made, "I wonder why I wonder so much" the answer, "because you are wonderful" seems apt. A sweet jumping-off point for more wondering.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
In a book intended to get the wheels of one's mind turning, Holt presents a series of questions children might pose. These vary in tone: playful (thoughts about belly buttons and breakfast cereal); scientific (questions about insects and galaxies); empathetic (does your teddy bear have feelings?); and metaphysical (could the ocean be merely a giant water bottle?). There are also absorbing linguistic queries, including one that plays with homophones: "Do tires get tired?" Many of the questions will generate laughs--for one, the notion that a sandwich gets mad when you bite it--and all of them would make effective writing prompts in elementary classrooms. Pak plays with perspective in his velvety, soft-focus illustrations; we get both indoor and outdoor aerial views, as well as views from the ground when, say, the text wonders if grasshoppers need hopping lessons. All the images are full-bleed; no borders can contain all the astonishment in a book that is an imaginative exploration of the word wonder. "I wonder why I wonder so much," a child asks toward the book's close, answered by "because you are wonderful." A tribute to the inquisitiveness of children, one that understands that the questions alone can be thrilling.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2020
In a book intended to get the wheels of one's mind turning, Holt presents a series of questions children might pose. These vary in tone: playful (thoughts about belly buttons and breakfast cereal); scientific (questions about insects and galaxies); empathetic (does your teddy bear have feelings?); and metaphysical (could the ocean be merely a giant water bottle?). There are also absorbing linguistic queries, including one that plays with homophones: "Do tires get tired?" Many of the questions will generate laughs�? for one, the notion that a sandwich gets mad when you bite it�? and all of them would make effective writing prompts in elementary classrooms. Pak plays with perspective in his velvety, soft-focus illustrations; we get both indoor and outdoor aerial views, as well as views from the ground when, say, the text wonders if grasshoppers need hopping lessons. All the images are full-bleed; no borders can contain all the astonishment in a book that is an imaginative exploration of the word wonder. "I wonder why I wonder so much, " a child asks toward the book's close, answered by "Because you are wonderful." A tribute to the inquisitiveness of children, one that understands the questions alone can be thrilling. Julie Danielson

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)