IF YOU GO WALKING

Questions—but not answers—abound in this celebration of natural curiosity.

One can collect lots of things while on a walk, but the pale-skinned, bespectacled young hero of this tale gathers something special: questions, including everything from “How can mushrooms show up so suddenly?” to “How deep do tree roots go?” Seasons change, but the child’s mind continues to race. Why? Because, “The thing about answers is, / They’re a lot like seeds. / If you take them home and plant them, / they will grow.” There’s a poetic cadence to Alladin’s free verse, as when the protagonist discusses bright winter days when “the sun is all light and no heat.” Questions and observations are grouped into small blue boxes, separate from the main text. Though the queries aren’t answered, young readers will have a ball mulling them over. Meanwhile, Sato’s adept and meticulous cut-paper images perfectly replicate a misty day and snowy rambles in the woods. The illustrator also skillfully works mixed-media elements (for instance, replicating the downy fuzz of a chickadee) into the art. And lest adult readers fret over a child traversing the woods with only a dog for company, a pale-skinned caregiver and younger sibling are often visible, following at a distance. A note at the book’s end advises kids on what to do on “wandery-wondery walks.”

A heartfelt paean to proto-scientists and everything left in this world for them to discover.