It Begins In Wonder
It is never too early to form a sense of wonder at nature and at the nature of life. This lovely children's book, "Wonder: A Song of the Seasons" seeks to create a sense of wonder in children between 4 and 8 years of age as they accompany two young girls on a bicyle trip through the country and through the seasons. It may rekindle a sense of wonder at life in older readers as well. First-time children's book author Julia Key, who lives in the north of England wrote the rhyming couplet text of this book while Helen Cann, the illustrator of many children's books and a resident of the south of England prepared the colorful, sparkling illustrations.
The little book begins with an epigraph from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: "I asked for wonder, and He gave it to me." The book might also have used quotations from both Plato and Aristotle who taught that the beginning of philosophy and wisdom was in wonder. Wonder lies at the nature of things.
The two little girls, one black and one white, leave early in the morning from their city homes to the question: "Who conducts the dawn chorus from high in the sky?/Paints the colors of morning, and blows the page dry?" The girls take a whirlwind ride on their bicycles through farms, forests, and fields, through the four seasons, and from morning to night. They are asked to think about the wonders of nature in a text continuing to pose questions such as "Have you run through a meadow of freshly mown hay?/ Heard a chorus of frogs in the heat of the day?" And as the girls arrive home in the snow, the poet asks; "How do stiches of white weave a blanket so deep?/Who embroiders your dreams for you while you're asleep?"
Helen Cann's beautiful illustrations accompany the girls on their journey and bring a sense of wonder in their own right to nature and life.
The verse in the book sings, making it a delight to hear and to read aloud. Children and their readers will enjoy accompanying the two girls in their journey and in evoking a sense of wonder at nature through the words and pictures. The book offers much to discuss.
This book is published by Wisdom Tales Press which publishes children's books with spiritual themes from around the world. Wisdom Tales kindly send me a review copy of "Wonder: A Song of the Seasons".
Robin Friedman
