Product Description
This is a story about noticing the little things, the grand big things, the imaginary, and sometimes, hidden things. It is about embracing what's possible. And that the incredible is everywhere, and in everything--waiting to be known, discovered, recognized.
This beautiful tale by New York Times best-selling author Kobi Yamada and illustrator Elise Hurst encourages readers of all ages to slow down and look at the world with their hearts--to use their imagination to expand their vision. A companion to the beloved children's book Trying, Noticing follows a young girl and an accomplished painter as they learn to observe the beauty and magic in each day. It's a story that will encourage you to pay attention, to make new discoveries, and to explore the unknown. And it's also an invitation to look within, to your own hopes and dreams, and perhaps to discover even more.
Review
Yamada challenges readers to pay attention to what is around and above them while enjoying a rich visual and imaginative life. A brown-skinned girl, walking through the forest, meets a woman artist who gradually helps the child truly observe her surroundings. “When you are interested, you are curious, and when you are curious, you discover things—amazing things, about yourself and about the world.”
Intriguing illustrations in subdued blues, greens, browns, and oranges contain hidden objects, including dragons, a mountain range that also looks like bears, and clouds that look like horses and lions. Human faces peer out of tree trunks while real squirrels, rabbits, owls, and foxes inhabit the woods. From sweeping pen-and-ink paintings of clouds and trees to detailed drawings of soaring birds, the pictures are arresting and engaging, calling readers to study them and discover hidden images. A variety of perspectives and the seek-and find aspect ensure that each turn of the page is a pleasant surprise.
Encouraged to pay attention to their environment, young readers learn to discover the extraordinary in the everyday. —Booklist
Yamada and Hurst (Trying) reteam for another tale about friendship between a young aspirant and an older practitioner. This time, a youth portrayed with brown skin and dark hair comes upon a silver-haired, light-brown-skinned artist seated at an easel outdoors. Asked if she’s a painter, the older artist replies that she’s “more of a noticer really... I just try to make things from what I see.” Via a lengthy tête-à-tête and subsequent encounters, the elder teaches the youth to notice, too. Clouds beckon as “the whole sky is tempting me to be amazed... I see whales flying like songbirds and a dragon breathing fire.” Delicate lines render majestic, swirling skyscapes, ancient trees, and distant mountains. “When we look at others...,” the painter says, “we are only seeing a tiny piece of who they really are.... We can often miss the most beautiful parts of them.” It’s an enthusiastic, message-heavy affirmation of individual worth, reminding readers that “everything is special about you! There really isn’t a single thing about you that isn’t extraordinary.” —Publishers Weekly
Wispy watercolors and black sketchlike lines—hallmarks of the works of author/illustrator team Kobi Yamada and Elise Hurst—burst from the page in this beautiful reminder to find the exceptional in the everyday. A young girl encounters an old woman painting in the woods; rather than a painter, the old woman describes herself as “more of a noticer.” A transformative friendship is born as the woman invites the girl to see the world—and herself—in a new light. —Foreword Review (starred)
“Take this mountain for instance…A climber might see a great challenge, a scientist might see the movement of an ancient glacier, and someone else might notice the cool breeze traveling from its snowy peaks. Though we all may look at the same thing, we don’t always see it in the same way.” This quiet, subtle book and its exquisitely detailed illustrations encourage young
