GIANT STEPS

Lambert immerses readers in a child’s experience of nature.

Close-ups of a kid’s bright emerald boots and a small hand tugging down a teal-and-lavender-striped cap are all we initially see of the light-skinned young narrator. In concise text, translated from French, the child announces that these things are preparations “for adventure.” In a leafy, grassy green world, the quiet explorer happens upon “a ferocious fight”—between two combative beetles. The child also discovers a “silly, slimy race” between a slug and a snail under what looks like rhubarb leaves, three “prickly creatures” (carefully drawn horse chestnut pods with accurately rendered leaves), an ant “colony on the move,” and “helicopters in mid-air” (tree seeds and a dragonfly’s surprisingly similar wings). In the child’s mind, rivulets become rivers (which appear tiny, dwarfed by the youngster’s much bigger boots), while seedlings comprise a whole forest, tree bark is an ancient elephant’s skin, and the “hundred eyes” of frogspawn stare out. The last few pages bring an abrupt change of feeling and perspective as the child hears the mysterious thudding footsteps of a giant. Happily, it all ends with the youngster riding home on a loving parent’s shoulders. The illustrations are rich and precise enough for a botanical handbook or insect guide; poring over them will inspire kids to pay closer attention to the real outdoors.

Small but truly beautiful steps in honing observation skills and strengthening the imagination.