Do You Wonder?

Do You Wonder?, by Governor-General Literary Award-winning author/illustrator Wallace Edwards, invites children to ask questions about their everyday world. By focusing on the big questions (“Sometimes I wonder what the future will bring”), the small questions (“Sometimes I wonder where the banana went”), and the downright silly or whimsical questions (“Sometimes I wonder why the world smells like a shoe”), Edwards has created an engaging picture book that is an excellent follow-up to previous works such as What is Peace? and Can You Imagine? (www.cmreviews.ca/node/2717)

Edwards is known for his outstanding illustrations, and this picture book does not disappoint. Edwards’ characteristic style is well represented in detailed and often humorous depictions of realistic but anthropomorphized rhinos, lions, crocodiles, penguins, and other familiar mammals, reptiles, and birds. The text is minimal, and each brief question is accompanied by a vibrant full-page, full-colour watercolour illustration that playfully brings the often abstract musings to life. For example, the question, “Sometimes I wonder how other creatures see the world”, is illustrated by a smiling clockwork robot staring thoughtfully at a honeybee. Would these two share a similar view of a flower, or would they see things very differently, and why? “Sometimes I wonder who decides what is important” is accompanied by a flamingo, puzzling over how to award a blue ribbon to one of three disparate objects: a fancy shoe, a red apple, or a rocket ship. What values do these objects represent, and which one is more important? The opportunities for interesting discussion are rich.

Do You Wonder? raises some potentially sensitive issues as well, subtly asking questions about why we sometimes experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, ambition, competition, and anxiety. There is no narrative linking the pages in this gentle picture book, nor are there any answers to the questions, but the very open-endedness provides ample opportunities for conversation between parent/caregiver and child, and also opens the door for children to share their experiences and ask their own questions about the world.
Highly Recommended