WHO ARE YOU?

A youngster explores the great outdoors—and, along the way, carves out a sense of self.

Keane’s energetic lines infuse a sense of vitality into her illustrations of a blond, ruddy-cheeked, pale-skinned child who, accompanied by a basset hound, walks, climbs, and explores while considering the titular refrain as it resounds from within while also seemingly emanating from the natural world. Our young narrator expresses a oneness with the surroundings: “I am the solid rock beneath me / the soft clouds above me / and the air moving through me.” The palette and illustrations have a retro feel, but this isn’t mere nostalgia or idyll. A fall from a tree can be interpreted as a symbol of challenges in forging identity or achieving mindful connections, for example. This mishap is not tragic, however; nor are the troubles that the child encounters while heading home through rain and then a dark forest: “I am the trail I cannot see. I am lost.” The youngster finally returns home to a warm welcome; Keane makes clear to readers that her protagonist will be just fine, despite scraped knees and perhaps a chill from the rain. A pitch-perfect closing question—“Tell me, who are you?”—will invite contemplation and imagination long after readers finish this earnest tale.

An artful invitation to big questions and connections.