JUST TO SEE

Using binoculars, a young girl observes the forest daily from her treehouse.

One day, she sees something that “wasn’t there yesterday” and runs to find out what it is. It turns out to be a deer whose antlers have grown so tall that they look like a tree from far away. The White redheaded girl asks the deer if she can climb his antlers to the top, and he says “if you want. You can tell me what you see.” As she climbs, she encounters creatures perched in the deer’s antlers: mice, rabbits, and birds having a birthday party with balloons, party hats, cake, and oatmeal raisin cookies; critters waiting in line to take a shower in the suspended water droplets found high up in the atmosphere; other small animals growing flowers in pots; a large snake lounging. Finally, the girl reaches the top, where she watches the sun set and the moon rise. In this French import, translated by McCalmont, the colored-pencil illustrations use free-flowing vertical lines that create a sense of movement and muted hues that convey a feeling of calm. Visual clues on each double-page spread hint at what is to come on the subsequent pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A simple, fanciful story about the rewards of courageously exploring the unknown.