Where My Feet Go

November 23, 2015
As a panda’s feet carry him through a day, they’re often on his mind, becoming the focal point of his imaginative take on some typical adventures. When he splashes in a puddle in the morning, “my feet go splashing in the ocean.” When he feeds the birds in the afternoon, “my feet sit very, very quietly.” And when he plays airplane with his father, his feet “go flying to the moon!” It’s a fascination that’s easy to understand—especially for readers who have perhaps only recently mastered the art of walking themselves, and are marveling in where their own feet can take them. Sif (Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats) never shows an actual “feet’s-eye” view of the panda’s activities—all of her softly colored, pencil-textured pictures are composed with a straight-on perspective—a visual strategy that establishes the panda as firmly in control, both in the real world and in pretend play. He looks a bit more canine than ursine, but he navigates his world so confidently and imaginatively that readers won’t care. Ages 2–5. Agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House.

November 15, 2015
A little panda's feet, snug in yellow moon boots, turn everyday walks into extraordinary adventures. They tread through the "thick jungle" (a vegetable garden), up "tall mountains" (a green knoll), over a "creaking bridge"(a log), and even into "the ocean" (a rain puddle). And that's just the morning! In the afternoon, those feet sit "very, very quietly" while the panda feeds "little dinosaurs" (bobbing birds). The ingenious incongruity between these imagined assertions and the realities keenly illustrated on these pages will delight children, who are intimately privy to the all-consuming power of pretend play. These uncluttered illustrations, in wintry purples, blues, greens, and browns, stretch across the length of two pages, suggesting an elasticized, unhurried narrative spun out of a young mind. Pencil drawings, made fuzzy and haloed by digital coloring, appear both specific and gauzy--an ambivalence that works in a story about unspooling imagination. The young narrator reads as a bit ambiguous, its long, string-bean body looking little like a roly-poly panda. Though the panda is gendered male in flap copy, the text is entirely in the first person, so the protagonist can be interpreted flexibly. The day described, however, with its swing rides, sandbox castles, bath-time splashes, and bedtime books, greatly resembles many children's quotidian pleasures. Pleasingly reflective of familiar childhood inner and outer wanderings, this picture book encourages little readers' feet and minds to run on and on. (Picture book. 2-6)

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February 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-A young panda bear asks the innocuous question "Do you know where my feet go in the morning?" What transpires is a fanciful and whimsical romp from the viewpoint of his feet. When he jumps in a rain puddle, panda explains that his feet are splashing in the ocean. While feeding the birds outside, he tells readers that his "feet sit very, very quietly while I feed little dinosaurs." The day progresses with his feet having all sorts of escapades, and when nighttime falls, he takes a bath while his feet go exploring underwater. Children will delight in the juxtaposition of what they see happening in the illustration and how panda describes it with much creative license. In each scene, panda is accompanied by a toy frog, and kids will enjoy finding where the frog is situated in each vignette. This clever narrative is illustrated in pencil and then colored digitally and skillfully demonstrates the joy of using one's imagination. VERDICT Sif's entertaining picture book will get kids thinking about where their feet go in an unusual and truly entertaining way.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2017
A young panda's feet lead it through the day, with each backyard activity interpreted as exciting, far-flung adventures. For example, "my feet go splashing in the ocean" when Panda comes upon a puddle. Digitally colored in soft hues, Sif's pencil drawings depict the quotidian events, while the text follows Panda's imagination in a quiet meditation on the possibilities opened up through make-believe.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)