AT THE WINDOW

An open window sparks friendship—and leads to inspiration.

Each day, the young narrator walks a small dog past a neighbor’s house, and each day, the neighbor sits by the open window working. The child wonders what she’s doing and why her window has no curtains. The two soon become friendly acquaintances. A turning point arrives when the protagonist tells the neighbor that the dog is called Bear. “What a big name for a small dog!” the neighbor says, finding just the right words to make the youngster smile. Some of the child’s questions are answered; as it turns out, the neighbor’s a writer. Suddenly, the woman moves away. Saddened, the child visits the house (now for sale) and gazes out the window. Rewarded by “a sweeping view of our block…and the wide open sky,” the young narrator realizes at last why the neighbor always eschewed curtains. Back at home, the child begins writing a letter. To the neighbor? No, to another, brown-skinned child who lives nearby—a less obvious but inspired choice on Lim’s part. Leng’s airy, expressive ink-and-watercolor illustrations alternate between panels and full-bleed spreads, employing a range of perspectives to gently guide readers through this well-paced and simply lovely picture book. The narrator is light-skinned; the writer presents East Asian.

A quiet celebration of community and writing.