What Could That Be? by Reza Dalvand (9781338530193)

On a beautiful day, something small lay in the middle of a clearing in the forest. The thing glittered red and green. The leopard believes it is one of her spots that has fallen off and runs off to warn the others. The crow thinks it is part of a star and that the entire sky may be collapsing. The fox and bear thought it might be something that would bring humans into the forest. The owl was certain it was a dragon’s egg. The cat thought it might be poop and covered it up. Throughout the forest confusion rang out, but that was a long time ago. The thing is still there. What could it be?

This picture book is a delightful mix of Chicken Little fears and an unsolvable mystery for the reader. The book is filled with the theories from different creatures in the woods, almost all of them leading to a sense of panic, even though they really don’t know what the object is. Readers will expect to have the question solved by the end of the story, but this Swiss import has a more European twist. It leaves the question still open, ready for readers to fill in the blank.

The illustrations are done in oil and crayons. They depict a rainbow-colored forest filled with animals of many colors, some of them just as bright and varied as the trees themselves. The bright colors add to the imaginative feel of the tale, tying it nicely to folklore.

One enigma offers plenty of solutions, do you have one? Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Scholastic.