The Wonder by Faye Hanson

Who is Faye Hanson and where did she come from? Her debut picture book, The Wonder is a story of imagination, creativity and recognition. The story is simple, yet meaningful and the illustrations are phenomenal, perfectly bringing the story to life!

The Wonder begins, "This is a boy whose head is filled with wonder. On the way to the bus, he wonders where the birds are flying to." As he makes his way to school, wondering all the way, adults all around him tell him to keep his head out of the clouds, to pay attention and to "wake up, daydreamer!"

At school, teachers tell him, not to be scatterbrained and "No daydreaming today!" But art class is different. At first, the boy finds the blank piece of paper his art teacher has set in front of him daunting. But, when she encourages him to, "Just use your imagination," everything changes for him. Up to this point, the palette has been soft browns with spots of pale yellow and grey. Small splashes of color come when the boy's imagination seeps onto the page. Once he is in art class and given permission to wonder, everything changes.

Readers are treated to FIVE two page spreads that bring the boy's imagination and creativity (and Hanson's) to life. As if these gorgeous, sumptuous illustrations you can get lost in weren't enough, Hanson ends the book on a very sweet note. When the boy is invited to share his creation, his teacher responds, "What an incredible imagination you have!" The penultimate illustration shows the boy's parents admiring his work as well. Teacher recognition! Parent admiration! And, the final illustration shows the boy whose head was filled with wonder grown up and sharing it with everyone as his creation is exhibited in a museum.I know I have told too much of the story here, but I think it is rare to find a picture book that so beautifully, magically presents the struggles that come with and the value of imagination (wonder) combined with magical, unforgettable, sumptuous illustrations that I wanted to make sure you know how spectacular and important The Wonder is! Give The Wonder as a gift to a child and that child will never forget it!
Source: Review Copy