Everywhere, Wonder

December 12, 2016
From the husband-and-wife team behind Babies Ruin Everything comes a sweeping exploration of imagination, appreciation, and possibility. A curly-haired boy with brown skin invites children to follow his lead and find their own story, one that lies in noticing and recognizing the beautiful, interesting things the world has to offer. “So keep your eyes wide open as you go,” he advises, sharing his own catalogue: “In Egypt, there are pyramids.... In Alaska, there are cold, wet waters filled with seals and sockeye salmon.... In Sheboygan, there is a tractor mechanic named Shirley who has thirty-seven friends.” The boy also notes that wonders can be found close to home: a blue balloon caught in a tree, an unusual looking soup noodle, or a glass doorknob that “makes rainbows when the reading lamp clicks on.” Peppered with questions and comments, Swanson’s narrative initiates a thought-provoking conversation with readers, and Behr’s digitally assembled watercolors create a dreamy mood. Her vibrantly hued scenes of lush jungles, dry savanna, and roads “that somehow never seem to end” paint a vivid portrait of the world’s diversity. Ages 3–7. Agent: Meredith Kaffel Simonoff, DeFiore and Company.

December 15, 2016
A picture-book call to dream and to create. Swanson's fanciful and whimsical exploration of the meeting of imagination and story is strengthened by the jewel-toned colors and sheer scope of Behr's illustrations. Written in second person, the text encourages the brown-skinned child protagonist--along with readers--to remember and to notice in order to discover ever more stories and go on more flights of the imagination. But it's when the illustrations marry the text, taking readers to such disparate places as the Coral Sea, the near side of the moon, Sheboygan, and Kenya, that the book shines. At times facile, Swanson's words work better when actually showing rather than telling readers that "wonders...are interesting [and] beautiful." It's in the specifics of the wonders described--"a blue balloon that must have slipped from someone's fingers"--and in the buoyant illustrations that this book holds and shares its joy--and that it succeeds. The strongest illustrations are those that play with negative space, as when a polar bear wanders off the ice and into the child's white-walled room, the one blending seamlessly with the other. A journey of the imagination, the book could be of use as a teaching tool to encourage budding writers and creators to notice and imagine stories based on both what they know and what they dream of. Whether this has children writing their own stories or not, its expansive exhortation should definitely get them noticing. (Picture book. 4-8)

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December 1, 2016

K-Gr 2-Pyramids, blue balloons, beautiful things of wonder-this title speaks to the power of the imagination, starting with an open book, a shared story, a "little gift from me to you." As a young boy reads, he begins a journey-from the Egyptian pyramids to the canyons of Arizona and through Brazilian jungles; Japanese gardens; the savannas of Kenya; the salmon-filled waters of Alaska; the storms of the Coral Sea; the surface of the moon; the farms of Sheboygan, WI; and the white solitude of the North Pole. Slipping in and out of his thoughts, blue balloons are like wonders yet to be found and moments of inspiration and dreams. "You never know what you might see...so keep your eyes wide open as you go." As the boy presses his nose to windowpanes, his cartoon smile follows the balloons. A colorful collection of water-washed digital collage images join descriptive prose to invite readers and dreamers to embark on the adventure and share their own tales. VERDICT A tribute to the power of imagination awaiting those who are open to the marvels that surround them. Best reserved for one-on-one sharing.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
Preschool-K Travel with our young protagonist on a colorful journey from the high hills of Japan to the Kenyan savannas, doing everything from navigating an isolated storm in the Coral Sea to having ice cream with a tractor mechanic in Sheboygan. Then open your eyes to the stories around you: Who dropped that penny at the bottom of the pool? Where do birds go when they leave the telephone wire? Now go off and explore your world! This sweet picture book is a petition for children everywhere to open their eyes and imaginations and ignite their natural curiosity to see backstories and beauty in every moment of life. The text is simple and straightforward, and the mixed-media choices are bold and striking (rust-colored pyramids, sherbet sunsets). Written and illustrated by a charming and accomplished husband-wife team dedicated to increasing creativity in both young and old minds alike, this is a worthwhile addition to any collection seeking to increase its focus on diversity and expansive thinking.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)