Tiny Wonders

K-Gr 2–April laments that if her town were a color, it would be gray: “Everyone seemed too busy to laugh or look up at the sky.” She recalls a conversation with her grandmother about the “secret language of flowers” and decides to brighten her town with the older woman’s favorite flower—dandelions. A few of the townspeople complain about April’s idea, but after her wish for seeds comes true, she secretly plants them and waits for spring. Finally, “happiness bloomed” and April’s neighbors rediscover the joy that flowers—and taking a moment to appreciate small pleasures—can bring. Han includes an illustrated guide to the meaning behind several dozen common flowers. The story is sweet and the art, rendered in gouache, colored pencils, and pastels, is warm and inviting; one spread showing the dandelion seeds growing over time is especially eye-catching. Still, the book is not entirely successful. Despite the opening spread describing and depicting the town as gray, everyone April encounters is illustrated in bright, bold colors. In the final spread, April and several townspeople are illustrated in miniature atop enormous flowers as they care for a vibrant garden. This odd choice of scale brings an unexpected fantastical twist to an otherwise realistic tale. Nearly all characters are light-skinned, including April, who has dark hair.