I'd Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog
-
- $6.99
-
- $6.99
Publisher Description
A comforting and timely new picture book that feels like an instant classic, written and illustrated by Philip Stead, author of the Caldecott Medal-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee and the New York Times bestselling The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine.
The limitless possibilities of the world outside our windows—and the warmth and comfort of home—are explored in this thoughtful meditation on the imagination, as seen from the point of view of a wise old dog.
Any child who has ever felt uncertainty about the world outside will be soothed and enchanted by the open-ended, seemingly-unanswerable, and utterly whimsical questions this book poses: "Will I ever be the dawdle of a penguin? Will I ever be the waddle of a snail? Will I ever be the tumble of a honeybee? Will I ever be the bumble of a whale?"
Children will love poring over the vivid, whimsical artwork, asking their own imaginative questions, and thinking about their own view of the world outside their window. It's a perfect story for families to share together from the warmth and comfort of home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Beginning with assonant three-line phrases that start "I'd like to be...," euphonious prose builds to experiential wishes. Varying between the strictly naturalistic ("Oh, I'd like to be/ the raindrop/ falling on a turtle shell") and the seemingly fanciful ("I'd like to be/ the welcoming umbrella/ of an elephant"), the whimsical lines feature myriad creatures, including penguins, snails, a walrus, and a wren. The speaker frequently expresses chimerical wishes, using atypical descriptions of animal-centered sounds, homes, or movement ("Will I ever be/ the tumble of a honeybee?// Will I ever be/ the bumble...// ...of a whale?"), and that verbal playfulness extends visually to depictions throughout, including one of a walrus in a rainbow-colored winter cap. The eponymous sentiment that closes gestures toward a timeless and universal hope for being "joyful and free," embodying the depth of the book's expressive aesthetic. Ages 3–7.
