Look - by Gabi Snyder (Hardcover)

About the Book

Illustrations and easy-to-read text urge the reader to be mindful by seeking out patterns in the world around us.

Book Synopsis

In the tradition of Tomie dePaola's Quiet, this lyrical, timely picture book with beautiful diorama illustrations shows that if you really look, you never know what the world might give you to see.

The natural world is full of patterns to enjoy for those who can ground themselves, be mindful, and truly see.

Review Quotes

This companion to Snyder's 2021 Listen encourages children to find visual patterns in our "VAST world." In vivid three-dimensional scenes, Cotterill depicts a redheaded pair: a child, sketchbook in hand, and a pregnant parent. Snyder writes in a direct, second-person voice: "But what if you stop, LOOK around, and get a closer view?" When the world "feels like too much" or is hard to "make sense of," look for patterns: stripes, repeating shapes, opportunities for repetitive movements ("Step, HOP, step, HOP"), zigzags, circles, checkerboards, polka dots, spots, and more. Cotterill fills her hand-built, mixed-media dioramas with patterns for viewers to find as the characters visit a farmer's market, a dock, and a forest. She keeps the compositions busy; that's the point. Once we find the patterns in her textured, bustling scenes, a sense of order grows from all the details. Snyder's text is particularly evocative during the book's close, noting that patterns connect us like "notes in a lullaby" as parent and child wrap themselves in a patterned quilt on the front porch. Back matter describes various types of patterns (fractal, branching, alternating, etc.) as well as a few activities related to making and locating patterns (the creation of sound patterns and taking "pattern walks"). JULIE DANIELSON--Horn Book "May/June 2024 Issue"

In this companion to Listen (2021), illustrated by Stephanie Graegin, Snyder encourages children to develop perceptive looking and pattern-seeking as coping tools for the frequent visual overwhelm of daily life.

A pregnant parent and a child--both ginger-haired and white-presenting--navigate a busy autumn day, with stops at a garden, a farmers market, a pond, and a wooded trail. The child carries a sketchbook gifted by the parent, making drawings of patterns spied in textiles, butterfly wings, and the starry night sky. Throughout, the text directly addresses readers, pointing out patterns, encouraging them to find others, and suggesting physical activities that add kinesthetic possibilities for pattern-finding. Snyder identifies the striped pattern made by a kitchen chair's cast shadow--"Light, dark, light, dark"--then asks, as the pair leave the house, "Where else can you discover stripes?" Cotterill's hand-built mixed-media constructions, replete with 2-D painted inserts of diverse people, flora, and fauna, embody the visual cacophony of Snyder's text. A lively farmers market scene contains visual depth, colorful details, and plenty of discoverable patterns. The walk home leads the parent and child through woods teeming with mushrooms, bright leaves, and wildlife. The occasional blurring of the photographed backgrounds is a bit jarring, evoking more a camera's eye than a child's visual experiences.

A warm invitation for children to find mastery and calm in looking. (glossary, pattern activities) (Picture book. 4-7)

--Kirkus Reviews "2/15/2024"

About the Author

Gabi Snyder is the author of several picture books, including Two Dogs on a Trike, Listen, Today, and Look. She studied psychology at the University of Washington and creative writing at The University of Texas and is a member of SCBWI. When she's not writing, she loves taking nature walks, visiting Little Free Libraries, and baking sweet treats. She lives in Oregon with her family. Learn more at GabiSnyder.com.

Samantha Cotterill has written and illustrated many popular books for children, including the Little Senses series, Thankful and Heartfelt by Elaine Vickers, A Grand Day by Jean Reidy, Look by Gabi Snyder, Jinx and the Doom Fight Crime! by Lisa Mantchev, and Just Add Glitter by Angela DiTerlizzi, which The New York Times called "a sparkle of genius." Samantha lives with her family in upstate New York. Learn more at SamanthaCotterill.com.