Space Matters

Starred review from August 15, 2020
An exploration of the spaces separating words, outer space, and everything in between. Following a humongous or--depending on perspective--tiny ladybug, readers are led through explanations of different meanings for the word space. Typographical, physical, and chronological spaces are some of the concepts probed in the story. Although space is often visually represented in concrete images, such as the interstices between spilled, uncontained noodles or the gap between teeth, abstract concepts are also transmitted, like the disgust one might feel when there is no space separating pickles and pudding, causing flavors to combine, or the built-up excitement created by a pause, or space, between moments. Readers will be enticed to keep revisiting the book, as it turns into a seek-and-find challenge when the pages are turned. Characters, patterns, and sections of previous spreads appear multiple times from different perspectives, leading readers to continually flip back and forth to locate the original image and to piece the final image together. Masterful page breaks create anticipation to see what is coming in the next spread, the first part of a truncated sentence often begging readers to turn the page to explore its resolution. The simplicity of Nichols' illustrations are reminiscent of Christian Robinson's and, with a diverse cast of characters--including both characters of color and disabled characters--evoke joy and communicate movement, life, and complex concepts. Beautifully brilliant in its simplicity. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

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