WHO'S BEHIND THE MASK?

A young girl introduces the people important to her with and without masks in this debut picture book.

It can be hard to identify people—and their emotions—when they are wearing masks that cover most of their faces. Konkol’s tale is narrated in the first person by a White girl named Sally with flower-bedazzled glasses and a mask printed with smiley faces. “Masks keep us safe from germs. Germs make us sick,” explains Sally. A page turn reveals that Sally is smiling behind her mask. So are Mom (heart mask), Sally’s sister (bow mask), and Dad (baseball mask). A nod to essential workers follows: A smiling grocery store clerk (doughnut mask) “puts food on our shelves.” Sally’s teacher, a Black woman, wears a mask with pencils and apples. A female doctor wears a mask, and a male nurse sports a mask and face shield. Sally’s friend Ben, who is Asian American, wears a mask and is the only nonsmiling character. Dogs definitely do not wear masks. Lack of details about Covid-19 or other prevention methods make this first and foremost an exploration of the visual differences in a child’s social world post-2020. The author’s basic, digital paintings with realistic proportions should help kids practice predicting facial expressions behind masks. The main strength of this enjoyable story lies in its anxiety-free approach to a new wardrobe standard represented in few picture books.

A gentle, engaging, matter-of-fact tale about a public health measure.