JUST A THOUGHT

Playfully serious thoughts about thinking for deep-thinking children.

“A happy thought the other day / went running through my mind. // It crashed into another thought— / the scared and worried kind! / Then an angry thought blazed in. / It wasn’t very nice. / But it got squashed by two sad thoughts / that made that thought think twice.” Flowing rhyme and illustrations as bold as the ideas make this abstract concept approachable. Thoughts constantly bouncing inside our heads are characterized as oddball, unkind, helpful, creative, and so on. “Where do they come from?” By making analogies to such familiar things as clouds drifting by, an “ocean, / deep and wide,” or “fuzzy sheep / that prance and wander, bound and leap,” the text suggests that thoughts help everyone explore their world. It also clearly states that “thinking thoughts / doesn’t make them true” and that “most thoughts can just be left alone— / no need to judge or fear.” Most illustrations have dark backgrounds but also include large blank spaces that allow readers’ thoughts to expand. A repeated motif of eyes and insight begins with a collection of eyes on the endpapers and continues on each spread. Cartoon characters include animated shapes, real and imagined animals, and a kid with brown skin and dark, curly hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A positive and calming guide for those who are looking inward.