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mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful meditation on the unfiltered curiosity of a child, Tamaki's debut follows a young girl through her day and finishes with a new dawn. The title itself is an indicator of the central theme of the book which is one child's questioning of the world from her own perspective and that of those who have told instructed her on it. Who the 'they' are, we can only assume, but that those voices carry an authoritative weight is clear.
In washes of acrylic on watercolour paper and photoshop, Tamaki captures the wonder and grace of a child exploring the world. She begins by reflecting on the sky, the sea and its denizens:
'They say the sea is blue, too. It certainly look like it from here. But when I hold the water in my hands, it's as clear as glass.'
The young protagonist goes on to observe and questions many things around her from colours to animals. When she arrives home after a wet day, she imagines herself sprouting into the form of a tree. Silent and contemplative, she observes her inner imaginings through seasons until she falls to sleep.
An ode then to the young imagination, one not yet shackled by any monotony or lost to the lure of electronic media. This is a young child with dreams and questions about the world and, for me, her story is a much welcomed addition.
In washes of acrylic on watercolour paper and photoshop, Tamaki captures the wonder and grace of a child exploring the world. She begins by reflecting on the sky, the sea and its denizens:
'They say the sea is blue, too. It certainly look like it from here. But when I hold the water in my hands, it's as clear as glass.'
The young protagonist goes on to observe and questions many things around her from colours to animals. When she arrives home after a wet day, she imagines herself sprouting into the form of a tree. Silent and contemplative, she observes her inner imaginings through seasons until she falls to sleep.
An ode then to the young imagination, one not yet shackled by any monotony or lost to the lure of electronic media. This is a young child with dreams and questions about the world and, for me, her story is a much welcomed addition.
alexandraidonea's review against another edition
4.0
The watercolours are absolutely beautiful and the story gets a little bit surreal, which is different in a picture book. I like that this is not a typical children's picture book and the main character is a girl of color. (And the crows are an added bonus!)
xanthe's review against another edition
4.0
The illustrations are lovely and I was moved by the progression of the images, but my four-year-old was bored very quickly and wandered off before the end. Plus, I have to admit that now I don't really have a clear memory of what this book was about. Still, the art is worth a viewing and I have a strong impression of the colors and of calm.
superkaren's review against another edition
2.0
It just didn't speak to me. The illustrations were nice, but I didn't connect with the content.
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