I Wonder

by Kari Anne Holt, Kenard Pak (Illustrator)

Overview

Kids who love the intrigue of titles such as What Do You Do with an Idea? will be inspired to ask their own questions about the world around them.

In this unusual text, young listeners and readers follow a group of diverse kids trying to make sense of the world as they see it. Questions such as What do clouds taste like?, Do my toys miss me when I'm gone?, and I wonder if cars and trucks speak the same language remind us of a child's unique point of view. Nothing is more powerful than seeing something for the first time, and these whimsical questions will encourage all readers to take a fresh look around them.
Exquisite artwork by rising star Kenard Pak follows the arc of a day, ending with a spread showing a group of children as different and varied as their questions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524714222
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	466,845
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

K. A. Holt, the author of a number of highly praised middle-grade novels, also teaches writing. This book was inspired by conversations with real kids. She lives a life of mayhem with her wife and three children in Austin, Texas. Follow her on Twitter at @karianneholt.

Kenard Pak combined watercolor, pencil, collage, ink, and digital art to create the illustrations for this picture book. His awards and honors include a Golden Kite Award for Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter. Kenard, a former artist at DreamWorks and Disney Feature Animation, brings his lifelong appreciation of nature to his work. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and their elderly cats. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @Kenard Pak.

Editorial Reviews

07/22/2019

In the spirit of Jostein Gaarder’s Questions Asked and Mac Barnett’s Just Because, Holt (From You to Me) celebrates children’s bold questions with some of her own, reveling in the pursuit of knowledge that has little to do with pure logic. Some questions are whimsical (“Is cereal afraid of the spoon?”); others feel profound or mind opening (“Could there be a galaxy in my belly button?”). Where the text offers humor, it’s understated: a boy holds his hand out to catch a beam of light, a quiet grin on his face: “Why don’t shadows smile when you smile?” Similarly, atmospheric spreads by Pak (The Hundred-Year Barn) portray interiors, wild places, and fantasy scenes with layers of gauze-like tints. Even when the musing is playful—“I wonder if dragonflies dog-paddle”—Pak resists simple caricature, for example offering a delicate close-up of the dragonflies hovering over a pond. Though the ruminations build to little more than a series of questions, a lovely mood and an affectionate ending affirmation send the book’s cast, and its readers, off to joyful contemplation. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

10/07/2019

PreS-Gr 1-Young children wonder aloud about the mysteries of life that surround them, such as, do dragonflies dog-paddle, does a grasshopper take hopping lessons, and what do clouds taste like? Answers to these questions are not provided but readers will be inspired to consider these and other such thought-provoking and often humorous queries. A beautifully diverse cast of characters ponders the mysteries of the universe in simple text and soft, soothing, and creative illustrations. Told in a series of "I wonder" statements and one-line questions, the simple story line covers a wide span of topics and will foster conversation between readers and listeners. The illustrations are created with mixed media, including watercolor, pencil, collage, ink, and digital media and set the tone of wonder and delight. Readers will feel validated by the fact that it is not only okay to ask questions, but also is encouraged and welcomed. VERDICT A delicately illustrated picture book that embraces curiosity and wonderment.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

School Library Journal

2019-07-14
Kids ponder philosophy and nature.

Lying in an attic bed in the opening spread's bottom left corner, a child wonders, "What if the sun is really a kite?" Outside the house, kites zoom up, while far across the pinkish-gray sky, an understated sun glows—with a kite string hanging from it. A multiracial cast of children, one using a wheelchair, pose questions that are their own point—no answers required. Some address nature, like dragonflies or grasshoppers. Some are playful: "Could there be a galaxy in my belly button?" asks a child who observes tiny planets and stars orbiting at waist level. Sadness is here too: "Why don't shadows smile when you smile?" The child wondering that question is smiling, but the picture is so dark, it's hard to discern. One tender theme involves concern for inanimate items, such as whether cereal fears spoons, whether toys mind being alone or shoes are sad to be outgrown, and whether teddy bears cry. (This teddy does shed a tear.) One spread asks, "Do windmills ever get tired?" and then "Where are all the unicorns hiding?" In the illustration, a muddy, melancholy green dominates the turbine-covered rolling hills and a minuscule pink unicorn subtly emerges. Pak's artwork is delicate and serious, echoing shapes and colors across a spread to forge connections.

Pensive and muted: the quiet side of wondering. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"Pak's artwork is delicate and serious, echoing shapes and colors across a spread to forge connections. Pensive and muted: the quiet side of wondering." —Kirkus Reviews

“A lovely mood and an affectionate ending affirmation send the book’s cast, and its readers, off to joyful contemplation.” —Publishers Weekly

"A sweet jumping-off point for more wondering."—Booklist

From the Publisher

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