A Horse Called Now

"Now" is the name Doyle (You Are Part of the Wonder) gives to a great white horse who stands in a daisy-studded field at the start of this picture book--a horse whose gift is being able to stay in the moment. Now notices "buds opening, dragonflies dancing" when Rabbit and her babies arrive, hearts racing, crying, "Fox is chasing us!" "Can you see him now?" the horse asks, before responding to further concerns ("No... but he might sneak up...") with "Or he might not.... At this moment, all is well." Hen and her chicks fear Magpie; Sheep and her lambs, the farmer's new dog. When thunder booms and the frightened animals flee to the barn, they find unexpected visitors, and Now's patient words help the animals wait in peace. Finkeldey (When the Storks Came Home) uses soft, pastoral shades and textures to capture the horse's shaggy mane, and the fur and feathers of the smaller creatures, whose faces express believable emotion. Barnyard detail and background scenery ground the abstract nature of Now's calming techniques ("I breathe in... and out...") and mindfulness teachings ("even the wildest storms will always end") in this evocative pairing of barnyard life and inward reflection. Ages 4-8. (June)