"Neighbors are really all around me.
I wonder that they are doing right now.
Are they going to bed, just like me?"
It is daytime in the city as a moving truck drives down the street, looking for an address. The child narrator knows exactly where her new home will be ... 3 Ponds Lane, Building 2, Apartment 12. While a box marked FRAGILE, a stuffed red cat, a globe and a rolled cylinder sit outside the building's door, the child approaches the apartment. She is followed by a man carrying objects meant for the new home.
She has her own room, now filling up with things of importance. Being in that room has her thinking about the people who live above, below and beside her. And to wonder about them. She would love to be able to reach through the wall and touch a neighbor.
A turn of the page shows a cross-section of the four-storied building, its basement which houses an artist's studio and a small theater, and even a rodent's tunnel below that shows exactly how mice gain access to the building itself. Young readers will enjoy taking a careful look at each and every apartment, the people and animals who live there, and the surrounding neighborhood. There is much to discuss. The girl's red sweater keeps eyes fixed on her presence.
As she considers what might be happening beyond her own home, her imagination clicks into overdrive. She is not even sure that anyone is home. She wonders:
"What if
there is
nothing at all
beyond the walls
of my room?"
She will soon find out.
Wise, and full of thoughtful contemplation, this is a quiet book that will intrigue readers. They will want to take the time to wander slowly through its pages. Be careful, don't miss the subtle changes in the endpapers from front to back. So much is in the details. Love it!
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