What People Are Saying

Publishers Weekly

Encouraging readers to wonder “out the window,” “down a pathway,” “with a paddle,” and beyond, Fleming’s mixed rhymes braid themes of discovery and nature, while Jones’s acrylic and digital art employs chromatic, imaginative depictions that amplify the verse. A bespectacled brown-skinned child finds a bustling city of insects beneath a rock, complete with monuments, high-rises, and a school bus (“Wonder underneath things”). Elsewhere, gazing into a pond, a diminutive dog sees a lion staring back. Assorted habitats and seasons are on display, as children of varying abilities and skin tones swim, climb trees, and make nature-themed art, among other exploratory activities. When the closely related “wander” makes an appearance in the text, it’s a nod at the balance of interiority and exteriority that can lend a sense of intrigue to any outdoor jaunt. Ages up to 8. (May)

New York Times

“Wondering Around,” by Meg Fleming and Richard Jones. This book encourages readers to delight in the quotidian. With simple but off-kilter compositions, the endpapers suggest that familiar locales have depths that too often go unseen.

Booklist

What's the connection between the words wonder and wander? Let’s see! Different children explore the marvels of nature as a springboard for their imaginations. Simple poetic text employs onomatopoeic words: “Chik-chik chirp” as squirrels scamper, or “swip, swip, sway” as the wind blows through tree branches. Kids germinate ideas as they look up at the sky, discover an ant village under a rock, or paddle through the water. A boy and his dog see footprints in the snow and envision a bright orange dragon slipping stealthily through the white birch trees. A family, pictured as silhouettes around a campfire, delights in brilliant stars as a meteor streaks acrossthe night sky and gorgeously colored fireworks make a pattern in the night. Pages using full-bleed pastel backgrounds, illustrated in acrylics, create exciting worlds where a child can ride a tiger or climb high to the tops of a tree to swirl with flocks of birds. Try this out to stimulate children’s curiosity in words and pictures.

— Lolly Gepson