ASK THE WIDE WORLD

Griffin presents an illustrated children’s book about connecting with nature.

As the story opens, a curious, unnamed little girl wonders, “Why do birds sing in the morning and not at night?” and “How do fish teach their babies to swim?” Her mother and father attempt to answer, but as her queries continue, the adults distract the girl with twirling and tickles until she’s out of breath. One day, the girl happens upon an old man with “millions of wrinkles and very wise eyes” sitting on her favorite park bench. The girl asks him a slew of questions, as well, and he can’t answer all of them; instead, he tells her she must “learn how to ask the wide world.” The youngster tries asking the sky and a tree; when she receives no responses, she decides to rely on her senses to find answers. She watches how the wind moves the clouds, feels tree bark and realizes it’s for the tree’s protection, walks barefoot in the grass, and listens to the birds. As years pass, the girl grows up and becomes a mother, and then a great-grandmother. While sitting on her favorite bench one day, a boy approaches her with many questions of his own; she smiles and tells him to ask the wide world. Griffin effectively depicts the protagonist’s awe of nature, while Echavez’s full-color illustrations convey the main character’s wide range of emotions and add bold color and texture to the outdoor scenery. (The girl and her parents are portrayed with brown skin; other characters are shown with a range of skin tones.) The author’s similes are evocative, as when describing the girl’s inquisitiveness: “It was almost as if someone had turned on a faucet and forgotten to turn it off until the questions overflowed like water in a tub.” Griffin also aptly conveys physical sensations throughout. However, the time-skips and the protagonist’s rapid aging make the conclusion feel rushed. The absence of names may also make it difficult for kids to connect with the various characters.

An often wondrous story about a young nature lover that ends too abruptly.