I AM HERE

Follow two beguiling parallel stories through this accordion-fold board book.

Bracingly blue skies and a beaming sun welcome readers as they open the book. Using brief prepositional phrases, the story, translated from Korean, progresses downward as the book unfolds. A jubilant pink balloon soars “under the rainbow,” a wind-swept hat glides “under a bird,” until finally we reach a grounded “Mama” and “under Mama / me,” an inquisitive infant snug within a carrier. Another journey awaits on the book’s opposite side, this one designed to be read horizontally. Now toddling, the child’s preoccupied not with what’s above, but with what’s down low. Intriguing natural objects—including “rocks / beside a leaf / beside acorns”—loom large and distinctive against color-drenched backgrounds. At one end of the unfurled pages, Grandpa waits eagerly. Meaningful and developmentally aware, these plotlines elevate the narrative, making the book more substantive than the usual picture dictionary. This is especially apparent in the poignant “me” and “I am here” statements that eloquently reflect the child’s beginning glimmers of self-awareness. Nuanced watercolor washes are artfully rendered. Buoyantly airy on one side, grounded and solid on the other, the high-contrast objects are appropriately eye-catching. Hardy paper will admirably withstand tactile exploration, and well-defined folds allow the book to lie flat or stand upright for tummy time. The family appears to be East Asian.

Pint-size perfection.