The Knowing

DiFranco’s debut picture book offers up a rhyming reverie on selfhood and collective consciousness framed as “The Knowing.” Loosely wrought watercolor, colored pencil, and charcoal pictures by Mathew, also making her debut, show a young narrator, who reads as of South Asian heritage, enjoying the simple pleasures of daily life: a hair-braiding session with a loving adult, time with a book under a favorite weathered blanket, and playtime with friends. But when the narrator catches a glimpse of themself in a mirror or in water, their reflection is shown surrounded by rays of light, suggesting that something bigger and more wonderful lies beneath the surface. Beyond that which can be seen or easily experienced (e.g., the “color/ to my hair/ my skin/ my eyes”) is something that exists “underneath all that I know,” and as the child engages in everyday activities—gazing into the sky, plucking a ripe mango—they contemplate that concept as being at one with a unifying force. Some readers may find more enigma than inspiration in this heady, feelings-oriented text, but its conceit is presented with an genuine openheartedness that should both intrigue and reassure. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Sarah Lazin, Aevitas Creative Management. Illustrator’s agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House. (Mar.)