I WONDER IF I'M GROWING

A kid lit virtuoso gives a Raffi song the picture-book treatment.

“I wonder if I’m growing // My mom says yes I’m growing // But it’s hard for me to see.” This children’s song is classic Raffi: Spare lyrics demonstrate a keen understanding of what’s important to little ones while also reflecting their age-appropriate literal-mindedness: If we can’t see ourselves growing, how do we know we’re growing? Klassen, author/illustrator of the Caldecott Medal–winning This Is Not My Hat (2012), takes a clever visual approach to the young narrator’s concern: For much of the book, readers can see just the top portion of the kid’s head (disheveled brown hair, big brown eyes, a pinkish-beige face flanked by protruding ears). In one illustration, the child’s head partly pokes up above a table (“My mom says eat your sandwich / it will make you grow up tall”). In another illustration, a bit of the kid’s head can be seen over the edge of a bathtub. But for the song’s news bulletin—“HEY! I can reach the tap now for the very first time today”—Klassen augments the kid’s face with the top part of a mouth open wide in surprise, followed by illustrations that include the top of the child’s proud smile. Klassen’s work features his customary chunky shapes and preferred earth tones—a subdued approach that packs more emotion than any fireworks-bright display of color might.

A reassuring tale for littles by an author-illustrator dream team.