FICTION

All We Know

by Linda ASHMAN
illus. by Jane Dyer. 40p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2016. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780061689581.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—This musical read-aloud tracks an unnamed child through various nature-filled scenes and seasons—"A cloud knows how to rain./The thunder, how to boom./A bulb knows when it's time to sleep/and when it's time to bloom." Readers follow along from farm to forest to seashore and back, ending at home with the big finale. "And—not so very long ago,/on a moonlit night—you knew how to tell me/that the time was finally right./The days know how to march along/no matter what we do./And I know how to love you,/no one taught me…/I just knew." This sweet journey of nature and love is wonderfully illustrated with Dyer's softly artistic and realistic style, which has served many other picture books so well. She perfectly mirrors the mood and text of the story while providing welcome details and texture.
VERDICT This lovely book is a great read-aloud for storytime or individual sharing. It also might spark discussions by children asking about how the mother knew "the time was right."
Reviewed by Catherine Callegari, formerly at Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH
"A pup knows how to wag. A kitten, how to play. / Swallows fly to winter homes and never lose their way." Tight rhymes offering examples of nature's omniscience conclude with: "I know how to love you. No one taught me... / I just knew." The proficient, greeting card–saccharine art features a towheaded toddler at play.
 , Apr 01, 2016

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