A LITTLE SPACE FOR ME

A child learns to create a little private space to find peace and recenter in order to once again share with others.

Sometimes even a loving home can feel a little too loud or crowded. Whether it’s a younger sibling playing the piano or grandma slurping, at times it’s too noisy for the bespectacled protagonist, who wears a high bun. Smells and lights on the bus and at school can also overwhelm, and sometimes the inexplicable can be too much. So one day, the narrator climbs to the top of a kid-filled jungle gym to grab some space. Olson as both author and artist plays with the homonym, as the child literally and figuratively grabs for space and captures some universe in a bottle. Wanting even more, the kid grabs jars and bucketfuls until the cosmos is all around. Finally able to meditate, rest, and dream, the child is then able to rejoin the multigenerational family—and still keep a bit of private space, shown in the replacement of each family member’s hair with a starry infinitude. While the characters are drawn in a simplified style, inventive compositions will transport readers into the thoughts and emotions of the protagonist. Both text and art show familiar experiences, but Olson also leaves them open to interpretation, showing people can interact with the world in different ways. The family is interracial, with Asian-presenting mom and grandparents and white-presenting dad.

Ripe for discussion.