The Knowing Book

by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Matthew Cordell (Illustrator)

Overview

Inspiring and wise, this story begins and ends with the sky that is always above you. In between, a young rabbit travels through the wide world, experiencing joy and sorrow and all the wonder that the world has to offer. Along the way he chooses a path, explores the unknown, and ventures along trails on and off the map. And at the end of the journey, braver and more confident, he returns home, the place he can always count on and will always know. This beautiful celebration of life is the perfect gift to mark any milestone in a child's life from birth to graduation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590789261
Publisher:	Highlights
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	110,893
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 5 Years

About the Author

Rebecca Kai Dotlich is the author of One Day, The End and When Riddles Come Rumbling, among other titles. Her poetry and picture books have won various honors, including a Golden Kite Honor Award. She lives in Carmel, Indiana. Visit rebeccakaidotlich.com.

Matthew Cordell is the illustrator of many books for children, including If You Were a Chocolate Mustache. He lives in the suburbs of Chicago. Visit matthewcordell.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/16/2015
“The sky has always been above you, is above you now, and will always be above you. Count on it. It is what you will always know.” Dotlich (Race Car Count) urges readers to take risks (“explore those trails not drawn on paper”) and develop discernment, but her verse can slide into hazy obscurity, as when she describes “chanting clocks that hang on the walls of dreams.” Cordell’s ink-and-wash drawings give the pages life and humor, and he imagines the “you” Dotlich addresses as a skinny, eager rabbit with unruly ears and a purple scarf. When Dotlich writes, “When you blow a whistle or a bubble or a horn, it is followed by an echo or a pop or a song.... this is the ballad of your own breathing,” Cordell (Lost. Found.) shows the rabbit creating a joyous, kaleidoscopic stream of musical notes and stars. There’s no mention of friends or family in the text, but Cordell supplies the rabbit with smiling parents and a cozy burrow. His gentle artwork redeems this secular, follow-your-bliss inspiration. Ages 5–up. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"A poem's gentle admonishments nudge readers to open themselves up to the world....Children will intuitively understand the reassuring embrace of the enveloping dome overhead....A frenzy of feeling, pen strokes, and verse that seeks to excite and empower young people just awakening from childhood slumber." —Kirkus Reviews

"(Author) Dotlich urges readers to take risks ... (and) Cordell's ink-and-wash drawings give the pages life and humor..." —Publishers Weekly

"This picture book encourages readers to make the most of their lives....Curiosity and adventure are encouraged.... The beautiful pen and ink with watercolor illustrations are as goose bump–inducing as the words of wisdom in the text. This inspirational book could be given as a graduation gift at almost any age." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Life is a journey that unfolds as decisions are made and directions taken. This text examines the wondrous possibilities of one’s adventures that have yet to be revealed. Dotlich’s text works together with Cordell’s whimsical illustrations to celebrate the journey ahead. A rabbit with a satchel and a long, flowing scarf stands on the edge of a doorway, about to launch forth from its home. The words invite exploration and venturing into new experiences. On the mountain, the rabbit looks over the land below and to the horizon, with encouragement to explore known paths along with what is not charted on the map. Every journey has its bumps, and both good and trying times are noted as the rabbit travels over hills that are sometimes sunny and sometimes rainy. Readers are invited to dream and imagine as they wander with the rabbit. The story begins and ends with the consistency of the sky and stars above, as the rabbit’s parents in the background convey the constancy of parental love. The book appeals to a wide range of readers who may be undertaking new ventures, from entering kindergarten to moving, and more. Interpretations of the symbolism in the story will vary based on the reader’s experiences, which may encourage robust discussion. Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung; Ages 5 to 12.

Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung

01/01/2016
K-Gr 3—This picture book encourages readers to make the most of their lives. "Open a door. Follow a trail/or a sidewalk or a sign./Any one of them will/take you somewhere." The main character is a rabbit who is leaving home with only a scarf around his neck and a suitcase on his back. The rabbit's mom and dad are seen in the shadows. Curiosity and adventure are encouraged. As the rabbit explores the world and experiences doubt, worry, and fear, the narrator reminds him to turn to something that is always reliable and there: the sky and his own internal strengths. The beautiful pen and ink with watercolor illustrations are as goose bump-inducing as the words of wisdom in the text. VERDICT This inspirational book could be given as a graduation gift at almost any age.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada

School Library Journal

2015-11-25
A poem's gentle admonishments nudge readers to open themselves up to the world. A bunny hops atop its burrow, its parents working cozily inside, and looks up. Omniscient narration blows in, whispering, "Before you forget… // ...look up. / The sky has always been above you, / is above you now, / and will always be above you." Children will intuitively understand the reassuring embrace of the enveloping dome overhead. As the verse glides raspily along, younger readers will lose their grips on its meaning: "Pretend you are someone, / and pretend you are no one. / Pretend you are who you long to be, / who you would never want to be, / and who you can only imagine being. / Know that you will be parts of all of these." Pre-adolescent readers, however, just grappling with slippery questions about their identities, their life choices, and the ways they engage with the world around them, will feel stimulated by this meditative book's recommendations as well as its jubilant ink-and-watercolor illustrations. Indeed, the bunny rambling and reflecting in Cordell's pictures resembles a preteen happily hopping down its own path, seeing a glorious world that echoes with energy: streams of music, gusts of butterflies, smatterings of stars, and rolling fields of grass. A frenzy of feeling, pen strokes, and verse that seeks to excite and empower young people just awakening from childhood slumber. (Picture book. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews