THE BLANKET WHERE VIOLET SITS

Violet has the perfect vantage point for observing an array of celestial wonders.

A small family—a child with two adults, brown-skinned, warmly bundled in jackets and hats—spends a stargazing evening in a city park. “This is the blanket where Violet sits, / eating a sandwich, an apple, and chips.” Wolf’s cumulative rhyme begins here, then travels from the cozy red blanket to the wide universe. First, we see the full moon and the blue planet, red arrow indicating the West Coast of North America, where the sun is setting. “This is the yellow star orbited ’round // by the small blue planet with moon so pretty / that shines on the park in the bustling city, / home to the blanket where Violet sits….” Stars shine in a deep blue sky; planets line up in bright colors. Then, “This is the galaxy, spiraling white….” Tobia’s perspectives shift from Violet and parents, gazing through a telescope, to an aerial view of their city, to the far reaches of the solar system, the galaxy, and beyond, and back again to Violet. The full-bleed illustrations picture deep space, pinwheels of stars, and distant galaxy clusters within the reach of a child’s imagination. The snack (“a sandwich, an apple, and chips”), the memorable rhyme, and the very big idea all affirm that the child is at this moment the center of the vast universe. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Stellar fuel for the heart and mind and an expansive storytime choice.