Every Space Between

Attentiveness underpins Hrab and Martz’s celebration of life’s countless liminal stages: “Sometimes/ we notice these spaces,/ and sometimes/ we don’t./ But they’re worth/ a closer look.” Opening text uses page turns to give readers a firsthand lesson on the beats between events, while subsequent sensorial examples describe in-betweens as feeling “as sweet and swift/ as the moment before/ your dad’s kiss/ meets/ your forehead” or “as/ long/ as the time it will take/ to slice” a cake. Adding a layer of storytelling to the musings, neat thin-lined cartoons match text’s perspicacity by centering on everyday family dynamics as experienced across a birthday celebration, sibling disagreement, and ice cream outing. As the vignettes build, art and narration alike gesture toward the emotional ups and downs associated with transitions, making for a perceptive read. Characters are depicted with brown skin. Ages 3–7. (Mar.)