Patterns, Patterns Everywhere

“I see patterns everywhere,/ patterns BIG and SMALL,” begins artist and designer Menendez, making her picture book debut with this rhyming work focused on repetition. Patterns appear visually in the natural world (“I see patterns/ in the forest,/ flowers, leaves, and birds”), where they can be heard, too (“I hear patterns/ in the jungle’s cries/ and the tiger’s roar”). A soft-hued spread shows wild animals with dappled coats—a leopard, a baby tapir—surrounded by lush foliage. The human world, subsequent pages show, features just as many patterns: in music and movement, the windows of city buildings, “a painting and in ancient artifacts,” and even, in one cozy spread, the decorated spines of books. The book’s driving concept isn’t defined until readers arrive at its back matter: “A pattern is something (anything!) that repeats.” Rendered in loose spreads that feel like a personal sketchbook, though, it’s a fast-moving survey that opens a conversation about the conceit that ranges beyond its usual visual understanding. Human characters are portrayed with various abilities, body types, and skin tones. Ages 4–8. (June)