What What What

K-Gr 3—Pan's curiosity is so insatiable that most people get annoyed with his constant questioning. However, there are those who benefit from it. Pan isn't afraid to speak to those in distress, and because of his compassion and relentlessness, an abused boy is saved. Every one of Tendo's lines has purpose; he moves the plot along, and changes readers' feelings toward Pan at a very deliberate pace. He also handles rather mature topics with aplomb by filtering them through the lens of a child who only understands that something is wrong. Praise should be given to the translator for a translation that positively pulls at your heart strings and is flexible enough for a word like dõshita (which is explained in the back). This is a third-person narrative, so Pan gets the chance to depict what he remembers through the artwork. Arai's naive style strikes that perfect balance between mimicking the mindset and capabilities of a child drawing with traditional media (including crayons) while delivering the quality expected from an award-winning illustrator. Unlike many picture books dealing with the theme of curiosity, What What What?? is not just about this occasionally annoying habit. It teaches that we don't always question things enough, and that, only when we do, can we stop bad things from happening.