Another

“A study in innovative storytelling, Another shines with brilliant art and shares a playful tale that provides mirrors and windows for imaginative young readers.”

A smiling girl sleeps while her kitty keeps watch in the dark of night. The fantastic wordless picture book Another, by Caldecott Honor artist Christian Robinson, opens with a shining beam of light that catches the curiosity of the black kitty. Suddenly, the glowing hole in the wall reveals a twin cat who snatches a red toy mouse. When the kitty’s doppelgänger dashes back through the bright portal, the girl and the original black cat give chase on a mysterious adventure.

Bold, textured shapes draw the reader through the story and the secret passageway. Turning and twisting the book upside down, sideways, and diagonally, readers can follow the girl and the cats as they take a journey to another world. Colorful stairs, bouncing balls, and a striped conveyor belt lead the characters to a room filled with children of different ethnicities. Kids in glasses, hijabs, and wheelchairs find their twins and blow bubbles, play games, and make friends.

Finally, the protagonist meets another girl that looks like her, with brown skin, colorful beaded braids, and a big smile. The girl’s double tosses her the red mouse and waves goodbye. The girl and her cat return to their bedroom, but the surprise ending promises more adventures to come.

Vibrant paper collages spill like confetti across the undercover, and even the cover and endpapers tell “another” story. A study in innovative storytelling, Another shines with brilliant art and shares a playful tale that provides mirrors and windows for imaginative young readers.