Is Anyone There?

""Here is a garden/ with foxgloves and daisies/ with grass patch and pathways/is anyone there?/ Only a shadow/that's going where I go/ it sticks to my sandals/ and comes everywhere.'' A child, on his way indoors, asks, ``Is anyone there?'' of the bees he passes, a snail making a slimy path, a mother cat and kittens sleeping in a basket. Each frame reveals a small universe of activitya blackbird sings in the branches by the house; mother is by the fireplace, nursing the baby, father is in the kitchen, preparing supper. The story lulls with its rhyme and repetition, and the pictures reveal cozy details, from brambly bush to quilted coverlet. The gentle flow of words and art will transport children's minds away from the world of play and into the world of sleep. (4-7)