The Knowing Book

November 16, 2015
“The sky has always been above you, is above you now, and will always be above you. Count on it. It is what you will always know.” Dotlich (Race Car Count) urges readers to take risks (“explore those trails not drawn on paper”) and develop discernment, but her verse can slide into hazy obscurity, as when she describes “chanting clocks that hang on the walls of dreams.” Cordell’s ink-and-wash drawings give the pages life and humor, and he imagines the “you” Dotlich addresses as a skinny, eager rabbit with unruly ears and a purple scarf. When Dotlich writes, “When you blow a whistle or a bubble or a horn, it is followed by an echo or a pop or a song.... this is the ballad of your own breathing,” Cordell (Lost. Found.) shows the rabbit creating a joyous, kaleidoscopic stream of musical notes and stars. There’s no mention of friends or family in the text, but Cordell supplies the rabbit with smiling parents and a cozy burrow. His gentle artwork redeems this secular, follow-your-bliss inspiration. Ages 5–up. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio.

January 1, 2016

K-Gr 3-This picture book encourages readers to make the most of their lives. "Open a door. Follow a trail/or a sidewalk or a sign./Any one of them will/take you somewhere." The main character is a rabbit who is leaving home with only a scarf around his neck and a suitcase on his back. The rabbit's mom and dad are seen in the shadows. Curiosity and adventure are encouraged. As the rabbit explores the world and experiences doubt, worry, and fear, the narrator reminds him to turn to something that is always reliable and there: the sky and his own internal strengths. The beautiful pen and ink with watercolor illustrations are as goose bump-inducing as the words of wisdom in the text. VERDICT This inspirational book could be given as a graduation gift at almost any age.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2015
A poem's gentle admonishments nudge readers to open themselves up to the world. A bunny hops atop its burrow, its parents working cozily inside, and looks up. Omniscient narration blows in, whispering, "Before you forget... // ...look up. / The sky has always been above you, / is above you now, / and will always be above you." Children will intuitively understand the reassuring embrace of the enveloping dome overhead. As the verse glides raspily along, younger readers will lose their grips on its meaning: "Pretend you are someone, / and pretend you are no one. / Pretend you are who you long to be, / who you would never want to be, / and who you can only imagine being. / Know that you will be parts of all of these." Pre-adolescent readers, however, just grappling with slippery questions about their identities, their life choices, and the ways they engage with the world around them, will feel stimulated by this meditative book's recommendations as well as its jubilant ink-and-watercolor illustrations. Indeed, the bunny rambling and reflecting in Cordell's pictures resembles a preteen happily hopping down its own path, seeing a glorious world that echoes with energy: streams of music, gusts of butterflies, smatterings of stars, and rolling fields of grass. A frenzy of feeling, pen strokes, and verse that seeks to excite and empower young people just awakening from childhood slumber. (Picture book. 8-12)

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