Who Are You?

Gr 1-4–A girl (white) and her basset hound are out exploring “the wide world” together. As she encounters each new environment—a meadow, a cliff, the canopy of a large tree—she hears the world ask, “Who are you?” Each answer is a metaphor. “I am the grass swaying in the breeze/ I am the birds hurrying for shelter/ I am the trail I cannot see.” As the day advances, she explores further and further, until she suddenly becomes lost in the dark. A familiar light in the distance leads her home, where she shares her escapades with family. In the illustrations, fine strokes in colored pencil evoke the sense of freedom windswept hills and burbling creeks provide the characters—a perfect match for the narrative. While the text feels conceptually abstract for the average picture book audience, the final question, “Tell me, who are you?” could easily spark a poetry workshop or lesson on metaphors. The no-tech, boots-on-the-ground, no-holds-barred sense of independent adventure at the heart of this book is a guidepost to the traditional childhood of generations past, and is a breath of fresh air.