THE KNOWING BOOK

A poem's gentle admonishments nudge readers to open themselves up to the world.

A bunny hops atop its burrow, its parents working cozily inside, and looks up. Omniscient narration blows in, whispering, "Before you forget… // ...look up. / The sky has always been above you, / is above you now, / and will always be above you." Children will intuitively understand the reassuring embrace of the enveloping dome overhead. As the verse glides raspily along, younger readers will lose their grips on its meaning: "Pretend you are someone, / and pretend you are no one. / Pretend you are who you long to be, / who you would never want to be, / and who you can only imagine being. / Know that you will be parts of all of these." Pre-adolescent readers, however, just grappling with slippery questions about their identities, their life choices, and the ways they engage with the world around them, will feel stimulated by this meditative book's recommendations as well as its jubilant ink-and-watercolor illustrations. Indeed, the bunny rambling and reflecting in Cordell’s pictures resembles a preteen happily hopping down its own path, seeing a glorious world that echoes with energy: streams of music, gusts of butterflies, smatterings of stars, and rolling fields of grass.

A frenzy of feeling, pen strokes, and verse that seeks to excite and empower young people just awakening from childhood slumber.