I'd Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog
by Philip C Stead (Author)
A comforting and timely new picture book that feels like an instant classic, written and illustrated by Philip Stead, author of the Caldecott Medal-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee and the New York Times bestselling The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine.
The limitless possibilities of the world outside our windows--and the warmth and comfort of home--are explored in this thoughtful meditation on the imagination, as seen from the point of view of a wise old dog. Any child who has ever felt uncertainty about the world outside will be soothed and enchanted by the open-ended, seemingly-unanswerable, and utterly whimsical questions this book poses: Will I ever be the dawdle of a penguin? Will I ever be the waddle of a snail? Will I ever be the tumble of a honeybee? Will I ever be the bumble of a whale?
Children will love poring over the vivid, whimsical artwork, asking their own imaginative questions, and thinking about their own view of the world outside their window. It's a perfect story for families to share together from the warmth and comfort of home.
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Publishers Weekly
Beginning with assonant three-line phrases that start "I’d like to be...," euphonious prose builds to experiential wishes. Varying between the strictly naturalistic ("Oh, I’d like to be/ the raindrop/ falling on a turtle shell") and the seemingly fanciful ("I’d like to be/ the welcoming umbrella/ of an elephant"), the whimsical lines feature myriad creatures, including penguins, snails, a walrus, and a wren. The speaker frequently expresses chimerical wishes, using atypical descriptions of animal-centered sounds, homes, or movement ("Will I ever be/ the tumble of a honeybee?// Will I ever be/ the bumble...// ...of a whale?"), and that verbal playfulness extends visually to depictions throughout, including one of a walrus in a rainbow-colored winter cap. The eponymous sentiment that closes gestures toward a timeless and universal hope for being "joyful and free," embodying the depth of the book’s expressive aesthetic. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2022 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
Picture books
Imagination
Picture books for children
