Slowly Slowly

Starred review from August 1, 2023

PreS-Gr 1-With a few carefully chosen words and images, Yuly fashions a delicate paean to nature and mindfulness. "When you slow down.../ you see more," whisper the inviting first lines, as a child frolics outdoors with a beloved pet dog. And slow down they do, taking delight in small things they might otherwise have missed: a snail climbing a blade of grass, a scatter of blooming flowers, turtles sunning on a pond rock. The minimalist style and composition of the hazy, soft-textured art (a combination of chalk pastel, cut paper, and digital collage) winningly reflect the book's philosophy of stripped-down simplicity. Moreover, most of the spreads maintain a single, fixed perspective-the limb of a persimmon tree. From this high vantage point, page turns mirror the passage of the seasons, foregrounding little changes (a spider spins a web, a caterpillar pupates, a bird builds a nest) as the text hypnotically repeats, "slowly...slowly...slowly." Down below, a new house is constructed and sold to a family, and soon the child has a new young friend with whom to slow down and watch the sun set behind the fruiting persimmon branches. The easy joy in their connection to the natural world serves as a quietly graceful closing statement. VERDICT An appealing purchase for all collections, with plenty of details to inspire conversation and reward multiple read-throughs.-Jonah Dragan

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2023
A child experiences a year and the shifts in nature that come with it. An unnamed, black-haired, tan-skinned child races through the grass, followed by a dog. As the story goes on, the seasons change. A spider spins a web, a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, and a bird builds a nest and raises its chick as a house is built in the background. Come autumn, the child has made friends with the new neighbor and taken in the subtle but beautiful transformations of the year, as exemplified in a persimmon tree taking several pages to finally bear fruit. The simplicity of this story results in its perfection. Repeated scenes of a branch of the persimmon tree, shown in different weather and at various times of day, will hold children's interest during multiple rereads and help them learn about the seasons and other aspects of the natural world. The text urges readers to slow down: "When you slow down... // you see more. // You see big beginnings, // and small steps." The precise, limited narrative and its message that good things can take time to develop will lull readers into a sense of calm appreciation, making this an ideal story for bedtime. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Delightful and soothing encouragement to slow down and enjoy life. (Picture book. 3-6)

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