OUR WORLD IS WHOLE

A picture-book reflection on interconnectedness.

An unnamed child of color describes connections observed in the surrounding world. Unfortunately, the narratorial voice rings false as that of a child, and the connections articulated are oblique, at best. The opening text, in keeping with the title, describes the world as “whole. Every day. When we believe it to be so.” But how is this wholeness supported by the fact that “Uncle Harry believes that my birthday card is always late because he sends it from Providence on a turtle’s back”? This attempt at textual whimsy, as well as others at profundity, falls flat as the child recounts the beliefs of a neighbor (who finds satisfaction in navigating the aisles of the grocery store), a cousin (who enjoys cooking heaps of tamales), a cat (who takes pleasure in napping on open books), and their own parents but never reveals how they achieve wholeness singly or together. Indeed, the child’s father’s delight in playing baseball with people who are not his family members stands in dramatic contrast to their mother’s belief that family is of utmost importance. Illustrations with a flat aesthetic evoking paper dolls are more successful in at least delivering a portrait of a mixed-race child beloved by family and secure in the world, but that world may well remain baffling to readers.

Too many holes to create a whole.