Here and Now by Julia Denos

Abstract

Reviewed by: Here and Now by Julia Denos Deborah Stevenson, Editor Denos, Julia Here and Now; illus. by E. B. Goodale. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019 [34p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-328-46564-1 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-358-16852-2 $12.99 Reviewed from galleys R* 4-8 yrs The team behind the wonderful Windows (BCCB 9/17) returns with an evocative child-friendly meditation on, as the title suggests, the here and now. The second-person narration starts close to home with “Right here, right now, you are reading this book,” then expands to consider surroundings, then the spinning Earth itself. Then it focuses on simultaneous occurrences, whether far (“An ant has finished its home on the other side of the planet”) or near (“A friend you haven’t met yet is sitting down to dinner”) or even internal (“Cuts and broken bones are sewing up and healing”), coming back in the end to the listener (“Right here, right now, YOU are becoming”). Denos turns what could be fluff into focus, deftly drawing listeners to think about how much happens in a moment to everyone, not just to them, and nudging them to notice bits of Now they may have tuned out. Good-ale’s mixed-media illustrations gain delicacy from fluid touches of line in face and surroundings, but they’re also robust (the scenes of city life are comfortably lively, with details that will repay thoughtful attention) and playful (the mise en abyme scene of Mom holding this book open to the spread of Mom holding this book open to the spread, etc., will tickle viewers’ brains). It’s a different approach to the theme than Portis’ thoughtful Now (BCCB 7/17); both books offer a kid-centered take on mindfulness that should encourage budding philosophers, scientists, and questioners. Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois