You're Here for a Reason

June 29, 2015
Tillman (The Heaven of Animals) pairs her characteristically cheerful exhortations with layered mixed-media artwork in which startlingly real-looking children and animals play. The children dance with tigers, play soccer with kangaroos, and cuddle with pandas as Tillman assures readers that every life has a purpose: “Life works together, the good and the bad,/ the silly and awful, and happy and sad,/ to paint a big picture we can’t always see.../ a picture that needs you, most definitely.” In this interconnected world, she suggests, children’s good deeds have effects that they may never know about (“A kindness, for instance, may triple for days.../ or set things in motion in different ways”). She pictures the good deeds and the distance they travel as a boy, accompanied by a blue elephant, lets go of his colorful, long-tailed kite. A fox uses it as a sled for her kits, and the ribbons become a bridle for a moose and adorn a bird’s nest, which serves as a boat for a ferret. Polished artwork and character-building verse make this just as desirable as Tillman’s previous books. Ages 4–8. Agent: Cathy Hemming, Cathy Hemming Literary Agency

July 15, 2015
The sultana of high-fructose sentimentality reminds readers that they really are all that. Despite the title, we're actually here for a couple of reasons. In fulsome if vague language Tillman embeds one message, that acts of kindness "may triple for days... / or set things in motion in different ways," in a conceptually separate proposition that she summarizes thus: "perhaps you forgot- / a piece of the world that is precious and dear / would surely be missing if you weren't here." Her illustrations elaborate on both themes in equally abstract terms: a lad releases a red kite that ends up a sled for fox kits, while its ribbons add decorative touches to bird nests and a moose before finally being vigorously twirled by a girl and (startlingly) a pair of rearing tigers. Without transition the focus then shifts as the kite is abruptly replaced by a red ball. Both embodied metaphors, plus children and animals, gather at the end for a closing circle dance. The illustrator lavishes attention throughout on figures of children and wild animals, which are depicted with such microscopically precise realism that every fine hair and feather is visible, but she then floats them slightly above hazy, generic backdrops. The overall design likewise has a slapdash feel, as some spreads look relatively crowded with verses while others bear only a single line or phrase. Patchy work, both visually and teleologically. (Picture book. 6-8)

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September 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Tillman's latest examines the struggle humans have with the idea of "purpose." She speaks as though addressing a child, repeating the refrain "you're here for a reason" and explaining that good things happen to others because of the child. Her answer to this life question may be unsatisfactory or too simplistic for some. Nevertheless, she fashions it into an encouraging sentiment that gives peace of mind. To evoke this sense, Tillman illustrates children mingling with animals in a vibrantly colored, dreamlike realm. As usual, her characteristic, almost photographic, digital and mixed-media paintings complement the soothing cadence of the text and beautiful rhyme. Goodwill spreads from page to page in the shape of a kite and a ball, showing how actions affect the world. Tillman frames her lovely poem with the idea of a puzzle, starting the verse that reads, "If not for your hands and your eyes and your feet, /the world, like a puzzle, would be incomplete" and ending with an image of a globe made up of puzzle pieces, depicting the paintings in the book.. It may not be obvious, but every person is a piece required to form the whole. VERDICT Fans of Tillman's previous titles will want to get this one as well; another ideal bedtime story for children and guardians to share.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ontario, Canada

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