Now

by Antoinette Portis

Review posted September 9, 2017.
A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, 2017. 32 pages.
Starred Review 2017 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #3 Picture Books

I’ve said before that some of the best sermons are found in children’s books. This book speaks loads about contentment and joy and living in the present.

Here’s how it begins:

And that’s how it continues. The simple yet beautiful pictures (I love the way she draws the breeze!) show a girl with light brown skin enjoying each favorite thing on a double-page spread.

The one variation is when her boat goes into the storm drain, and we read, “That was my favorite boat.” No sadness or crying, just enjoying this moment.

The book winds up like this:

The final picture is of the girl in her mother’s lap reading a book, so there’s a nice self-referential element.

This book just makes me smile!

And the next time I go for a walk around my lake, I’m going to be saying things to myself like:

This is my favorite breeze.
That is my favorite flower.
That is my favorite bird….

What a lovely concept to share with children!