Whimsy's Heavy Things

PreS-Gr 2—With a spare narrative and beautiful illustrations, this picture book tackles the subject of what to do when things seem bleak. Whimsy, a child in a mustard-and-white-striped dress and red boots, finds herself weighed down. Her "heavy things," which are rendered as black balls that look a bit like yarn, will not go away. She tries to hide them under a rug, but soon trips over them. She hoists them onto a tree, but the branch breaks. After more trial and error, and tears, "she just couldn't make the heavy things disappear." Eventually, though, Whimsy finds a solution: "she could break the heavy things into smaller pieces," and, when she does, she discovers that "heavy things are just light things in disguise." The oils and graphite spreads gently convey the bleakness the narrator feels and subtly shift in color as Whimsy becomes free of her burdens. While the message might be lost on many young readers, adults will find this title helpful for initiating discussion with anxious or sad youngsters, or to help children understand sadness.—Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI