The end is just the beginning

Beginning with "THE END," this thought-provoking picture book uses the phrase as an exercise in altering one's perception about conclusions. While a child initially questions a book that starts with its ending, the book's narrator, a caterpillar, reassures readers: "Prepare to have your mind blown... the end isn't really the end. It's just the beginning of something else!" Examples of this lens-change follow: sunset is the end of the day but also the beginning of the night. A rocket ship blasts off and reaches, Bender writes, "the end of the sky.../ otherwise known as/ the beginning of outer space." And "the end of a mistake.../ is just the beginning/ of learning something new." Throughout, gauzy, gently hued mixed-media scenes by Mayo show an ethnically inclusive group of children experiencing various beginnings and endings. Readers may well guess the words on the final page of this forward-looking volume, which is just right for readers anxious about finality. Ages 3--7. (Apr.)

A cyclical take on life. Endings can sometimes feel sad or heavy in their finality. But Bender reverses this perspective. In fact, the story starts, as a tiny caterpillar tells readers, with "THE END." A young tot on a bed closing a book looks puzzled. Bender acknowledges the absurdity. "But wait--how can a book possibly start with the end? That's ridiculous." It's not, once you change your frame of reference. Continuing in a conversational tone, Bender gives examples. Some are personal and immediate: "The end of a disagreement with someone … / is just the beginning of making up." Others are more abstract: "When you count, the end of one number is just the beginning of the next number… / and so on and so on and so on, all the way to infinity, which, by the way, NEVER ends!" Two friends or perhaps siblings (one with brown skin and brown hair in two Afro puffs, the other with pale skin and straight, black hair) act out the scenarios, which are strung together over the course of a day from one morning to the next. Mayo's illustrations also dance between concrete and abstract, illustrating disagreement with one kid scowling, sitting back to the other, who looks distressed, next to a ruined sand castle and infinity with an image of the two kids cycling along an enormous infinity sign. In a meta-infused closing, Bender concludes with "THE BEGINNING / (of discovering the next book)." A cleverly placed butterfly flits away. The hazy wash over muted tones gives a warm, cozy embrace to the message. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 48.2% of actual size.) A mind-stretching outlook that may help youngsters with change--and will certainly cause them to think. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.