The Amazing Idea of You

A curious, active child with rosy cheeks and a chin-length bob plants an apple seed: "Hidden in this apple/ is the idea of a tree/ wrapped tight/ in this shiny seed." Animals and other natural objects are growing and becoming, too: a bird in an egg; a tadpole becoming a frog; and a caterpillar metamorphosing. "Even those waddling goslings hold the dream of whistling flight over lake and field." The girl also holds amazing potential: "And look at you!/ What ideas are hidden/ inside of you?" In Lindquist's clear, airy art, the child grows older, planting new apple trees as a young adult. At last, she picnics with her own children in the orchard she has grown: "All around are apples... And every last one/ has an idea inside./ Just like you." Ages 3-6. (Feb.)

PreS-Gr 2--Set in the rolling countryside, this inspirational picture book bursts with freshness in illustration and text. Deep inside every living thing is the idea that something amazing can emerge--an orchard from an apple seed, a leaping frog from a tadpole, a butterfly from a caterpillar. Beautiful ideas are inside every person as well--perhaps a new song, a colorful painting, or an invention not yet imagined. There are no limits to the greatness inside every living thing. The text is descriptive and appealing. The soft watercolor paintings emit feelings of hope and new possibility. The animal characters are detailed and adorable, and the young girl featured in the beginning of the story develops into a young woman by story's end. There is a recurring illustrative element on every spread: a softly painted leafy branch, which subtly ties each page together. VERDICT A gentle yet deliberate reminder of the greatness deep inside every living being.--Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

"In Lindquist's clear, airy art, the child grows older, planting new apple trees as a young adult. At last, she picnics with her own children in the orchard she has grown: 'All around are apples . . . And every last one/ has an idea inside./ Just like you.'" —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Opaque, spring-bright colors in the watercolor, pencil, and gouache illustrations . . . complement the text's suggested importance of a human connection with nature. . . . [A] bedtime read-aloud about big ideas and the promise in everyone." —Kirkus Reviews

"Bursts with freshness in illustration and text . . . . A gentle yet deliberate reminder of the greatness deep inside every living being." —School Library Journal

"The language is lyrical and often stunning. . . A book to pore over and think about." —Booklist Online