I Wrote You a Note

October 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-A young child lounging in a flowery meadow writes a note and leaves it for a friend. A variety of animals discover it first and transform it according to their needs. When Turtle comes across the note, he makes a raft out of it; Duck uses it as a dock for her ducklings; Spider crosses the creek on it; and so forth. Eventually the wind blows the note over to its intended recipient, another child. The last page reveals the missive's contents-an invitation to go exploring, something the note's author has been doing all along while waiting for a friend to arrive. Boyd's stylized gouache illustrations are reminiscent of Matisse's cutouts, with their vivid colors and dancing shapes. Sharp-eyed readers will enjoy spotting the animals on the spreads as they make their appearance and cameos throughout the story. Hand-lettered text is a fitting accompaniment to the images both in its simple refrain of "I wrote you a note. Did you find it?" and in making the entire book feel like the note itself. VERDICT A delightful adventure through the great outdoors, best shared one-on-one to pore over the engagingly designed pages.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

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