The Book of I Am…
by Karl Wayne Gruber and John Francis Carroll ; illustrated by Morning Leaves
Two insects trade riddles back and forth in Gruber and Carroll’s illustrated collection of rhymes about nature for children.
Best friends Johnny Grasshopper and Karl Bugg (an ant) love observing the world around them and describing what they see to their friends in rhyme, making the other guess the subjects. The result is a series of rhyming riddles that begin vaguely, progressing with more detailed clues until a final rhyme gives the last hint. Objects in the sky (and the sky itself) are frequent topics. While many of the details are scientific, such as the explanation for the sky’s blue color, some are more personified: “If you are ever alone, just look up to me. / And think of all the places I must be able to see.” Gruber and Carroll deftly balance the poetry and clues, making the answers fairly obvious for independent readers by the final prompts; lap readers may spend more time pondering. The accessible vocabulary contains a few more advanced words (like tranquility, freighters, and reflections) that may challenge newly independent readers. The digital cartoon illustrations from Morning Leaves have an oddly flattened feel to them, and the recycling of the characters’ postures on the riddle pages feels like a wasted opportunity to reveal more about their personalities. But the bright colors are eye-catching, and the images generally complement the poetic text, even if they do not match it exactly.
A clever book that encourages the littlest readers to display their own cleverness.