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Christian Robinson's new book is a letter from an adult to a child. It's an effort to reassure someone lost: "You matter."


Robinson tells the child you have worth, even when:


*You fall down.

*You have to start again.

*Everyone thinks you're a pest.

*No one will help.

*You feel alone.

*Someone you love goes away.

*You find you're far from home.

*Something you want remains out of reach.


The book would be subversive enough if it were just text; it's rare to see someone speaking so bluntly to children. (How generous it is to state the awful truth!)


But--on top of this--there are the illustrations, which are so witty and surprising and challenging. They are never, never what you expect. "You matter even if you're last to go." This line is accompanied by a lizard emerging from primordial ooze onto land. "You matter even if you're too small to see." This line is accompanied by someone in an airplane: The items "too small to see" are actually buildings, city blocks, skyscrapers.


"You matter even when you fall down." This thought is paired with an image of the comet that wiped out so many dinosaurs. Christian Robinson is showing empathy for the comet!


What a nice surprise it was to find this book at the end of a difficult year. I'm giving it five stars.

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