Just To See

"Whimsical... readers can unleash their own imaginations.” —New York Times
Fans of Peter Brown and Jon Klassen will cherish this inspiring story about exploration, curiosity and an unexpected discovery.
There are wonders all around us ... Why not go see what you can find?
Every day, perched high up in her tree house, a girl surveys the distant forest through her binoculars. She knows every plant and animal.
But look! A strange new tree appears, towering above all the others. Where did it come from? Is it really a tree?
Intrigued, the girl sets off to take a closer look. Just to see…
Whimsical illustrations bring humor to an inspirational story about staying curious, finding wonder in nature, and seeing the familiar in new and unexpected ways.\nBlue Dot Kids Press books are printed with vegetable inks on responsibly-sourced paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. From the sale of every book, we donate to environmental causes through our membership with 1% for the Planet. Through our annual Earth Day Initiative with our partner One Tree Planted, readers have the opportunity to plant trees—over 1,000 trees planted to date!\nFrom School Library Journal\nPreS-Gr 1—Life is full of surprises, and this red-headed little girl faces them. Perched on the deck of her treehouse with her binoculars glued to her face, she observes the forest around her. One day, she sees branches soaring above her familiar forest and races out to explore. Rather than finding a tree, she discovers a deer with unusually long antlers. With the permission of the deer, she begins to climb, "just to see" what lies above, even though the unknown looms and she feels some trepidation. She discovers a magical, closely knit animal community within the antlers—rabbits and mice celebrating a birthday, taking baths, reading books, and tending talking plants. She also finds a gigantic sleeping snake, but she is able to slip by unnoticed. Like every adventurous spirit, she does not stop until she reaches the top and is rewarded with a gorgeous sunset and moonrise. Most of the text is contained in short speech bubbles and shows a young girl who is kind and respectful to the creatures she meets, in addition to being curious and a risk-taker. As in the works of Jon Klassen, Pigé conveys the excitable, quivering spirit of the young adventurer through simple and subtle changes to the shape of her eyes, her eyebrows, and her body position. The pastel tones of the illustrations wrap the "amazing" adventure in comfort. VERDICT A story celebrating the spirit of discovery—sure to inspire young nature explorers everywhere.—Sally A. James