CAN YOU SEE IT?

Warm guidance on the difference between looking and seeing.

Verde is well established as a writer skilled at introducing concepts of mindfulness to young readers, with titles such as those in the I Am series, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, to her credit. With this latest offering, she collaborates with illustrator Perdomo to invite children to “slow down— / find stillness, and notice / with patience and curiosity.” First-person narration delivers this invitation in the voice of a child who presents Black. The young narrator first distinguishes between looking at a tree and truly seeing the life it experiences and sustains—“Signs of change and letting go, / flowering and feeding, / shading and sheltering. / A place to call home.” The narrator then directly asks readers what they see in the accompanying, brightly colored illustration of flora and fauna alike in an up-close image of the tree’s branches. The following pages continue in this manner, helping readers “see” both tangible and intangible qualities of the world they inhabit, with illustrations echoing illustrator Karen Katz’s style and expanding on the text to prompt careful examination. While the book is engaging, some may notice a missed opportunity for inclusion of visually impaired people, who, while unable to literally look at the world, can surely perceive a great deal in other ways. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Much good to see here.