"Sometimes it's nice to
be alone.
Just you, reading your
book, alone, and the
only sound in the world
is the whispery sound of
you turning pages.
But what if a friend
stops by?"
I don't mind being alone at all. That is not to say that I don't appreciate spending time with friends and family. Sometimes, it's the quiet I seek ... no sounds except what I can hear outside my window or door.
For the little girl who narrates this story, she knows that feeling. A quiet snack with a favored stuffie close by provides pleasure. A friend's visit could be welcome. At this point, the elephant stuffie becomes gigantic, and helps itself to a chair for sitting and sharing the snack. Turn another page, and she finds joy in being alone with a book, with a tiny blue horse as companion. Reading that book on the trotting horse's back is quite the accomplishment. Each new turn of the page takes readers to another place, another treasured friend, and a new solitary pursuit.
There is joy in every spread. Young readers will be captivated by the accompaniment of very special stuffie friends to share the wonder in being alone ... well, sort of!
Amy Hest's text is simple and expressive, the circumstances engaging and creative, and the repeated trajectory of the solitary and companionable activities inviting. Philip Stead's monoprinting techniques for the artwork exhibit the wonder to be found in a child's imagination. I love the way he shows her large and full of life on her own pages, then smaller in comparison to her imaginary friends who sometimes make her day better. One of my favorite books this year.
This is for Chelsea on her birthday, who has imagination galore. Happy birthday, sweet girl!
No comments:
Post a Comment