WINDOWS by Julia Denos & illustrated by E.B. Goodale from Candlewick Press

ISBN: 9780763690359

My thoughts: At first glance, one would think this is simply a book about seeing into the windows of one's neighborhood as the day ends and the lights inside come on revealing activities at the close of day. However, as you ponder the pictures and text it leads one to contemplate just what is really going on inside the rooms alight and revealing the lives of those around us.

We see that they, just as we, putter about their homes doing the mundane chores and being involved in the act of daily living. Just as you and just as I. So we see the varied homes with varied shaped windows with varied individuals each unique and each somewhat the same as you and I. We are all going about the act of living out the day and are backlite in the windows of our homes.

Is this snooping? Is this an invasion of privacy? Is this none of our personal business and encroaching into the lives of those into whose windows we are peering? That just depends on your outlook. I choose to think that it is that little bit of life our neighbors are willing to share with us. They are allowing us to peer into their windows and see them a little.

What if we allowed our associates, our families, our neighbors to peer into the windows of our souls at least a little just as we are peering into the windows of the houses along the street at close of day when the lights come on and the curtains are not yet pulled shutting us out?

A lovely book provoking thoughtful insight into that which is around us. Illustrations by E.B.Goodale are done in dark shades of blues, browns, and greys indicative of the setting sun and darkening evening. Golden rosy hues light the backdrop of the pages as the sun sets and as the lights flick on in the windows of the homes along the street inviting the reader to peer into the windows and find objects and activities to talk about.

About the book: Walking his dog at dusk, one boy catches glimpses of the lives around him in this lovely ode to autumn evenings, exploring your neighborhood, and coming home.

Before your city goes to sleep, you might head out for a walk, your dog at your side as you go out the door and into the almost-night. Anything can happen on such a walk: you might pass a cat, or a friend, or even an early raccoon. And as you go down your street and around the corner, the windows around you light up one by one until you are walking through a maze of paper lanterns, each one granting you a brief, glowing snapshot of your neighbors as families come together and folks settle in for the night. With a setting that feels both specific and universal and a story full of homages to The Snowy Day, Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale have created a singular book — at once about the idea of home and the magic of curiosity, but also about how a sense of safety and belonging is something to which every child is entitled.

Watch for Chat With Vera's giveaway of a final copy of WINDOWS.

DISCLOSURE: I received an Advanced Reader Copy (uncorrected proof) from Candlewick to facilitate my review which is freely given.