Beautiful Hands

This celebration of human capability subverts expectations with every page turn, as Otoshi (Two) and Baumgarten twist physical actions, such as planting or lifting, into more abstract ideas. “What will your beautiful hands do today?” begins the book; the question is one Baumgarten asked his children daily, before his death in 2014. Images created from handprints and fingerprints, inked in a vibrant palette of paint and set against white backgrounds, accompany reader-directed questions that are broken up over page turns, allowing each surprising conclusion to make its full impact. “Will you plant... ideas?” write the authors, as circles of handprints attached to green stems suggest both fiery dandelions and the explosive energy of an epiphany. In two spreads dedicated to the phrase “Will they lift... spirits?” a tiny bird is first seen perched on a yellow hand; a page turn reveals the bird in its full splendor as its wings stretch across the spread, slender blue and magenta fingerprints transformed into delicate feathers. It’s an inspiring reminder of all the intangible things that our bodies, hearts, and minds have the capacity to do. Ages 3–up. (Sept.)