We're All Wonders by R. J. Palacio

The New York Times bestseller that celebrates kindness, belonging, and friendship. Inspired by the unforgettable blockbuster book and movie Wonder, this is the perfect graduation gift for kids of all ages, plus a great choice for baby showers, birthdays, and other new beginnings! Over 15 million people have fallen in love with Wonder and have joined the movement to Choose Kind. Now younger readers can meet Auggie Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face, and his beloved dog, Daisy. Countless fans have asked R. J. Palacio to write a book for younger readers. With We're All Wonders, she makes her picture-book debut as both author and artist, with a spare, powerful text and striking, richly imagined illustrations. Palacio shows readers what it's like to live in Auggie's world--a world in which he feels like any other kid, but he's not always seen that way. We're All Wonders may be Auggie's story, but it taps into every child's longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are. It's the perfect way for families and educators to talk about empathy and kindness with young children. Praise for Wonder: A #1 New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Top 100 Bestseller An Indie Bestseller A Time Magazine 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time Selection A Washington Post Best Kids' Book A New York Times Book Review Notable Book An NPR Outstanding Backseat Book Club Pick An Entertainment Weekly 10 Great Kids' Books Selection A beautiful, funny and sometimes sob-making story of quiet transformation. --The Wall Street Journal A crackling page-turner filled with characters you can't help but root for. --Entertainment Weekly Rich and memorable. --The New York Times Book Review Editorial Reviews 01/23/2017 Dispensing with the plot and multicharacter perspective of her much-lauded middle grade novel, Wonder (which also inspired the Choose Kind antibullying movement), Palacio focuses this picture book spin-off on the reflections of her hero and narrator, Auggie. I just don't look ordinary, he says, and while what makes him so isn't specified, readers can see the difference between his single-eyed, featureless face (based on Tad Carpenter's cover illustration for the original novel) and Palacio's drawings of other kids. The love of Auggie's mother (She says I'm a wonder!), the companionship of his dog, Daisy, and his pretend play as an astronaut all help the boy momentarily escape the taunts of his peers. But he also holds out the hope, which the penultimate spread seems to affirm, that people can change the way they see and learn to appreciate the sentiment expressed in the title. Younger children need to hear Palacio's important message, but the wistful nostrums and flat, decorative cartooning don't fully do justice to her novel. Ages 4-8. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group. (Mar.) - Publishers Weekly 2017-01-17 Auggie, from the bestselling novel Wonder (2012), returns as a picture-book protagonist.Though Auggie tries to do the normal things other kids do--ride a bike, eat ice cream, play ball--he doesn't look like other kids. Though it takes knowledge of previous installments in the Wonder series to understand that Auggie has serious facial deformities and has had many corrective surgeries, it is clear what Auggie endures from other kids: Sometimes they stare at me. They point or laugh. They even say mean things behind my back. But I can hear them. His mother tells him he's a wonder; in fact, we're all wonders, Auggie informs readers. But with no characterization and little in the text beyond inspirational messages, it's not clear what makes Auggie a wonder; he wants to be taken as he is, but readers--unless they have read the other volumes--never come to know him. Borrowing the now-iconic stylized image of a nearly featureless, one-eyed, white Auggie from the original hardcover edition and employing colorful, digitally rendered art, this edition pulls the heartwarming spirit from Wonder but little of the substance. Auggie's first-person point of view is too narrow to allow for the range of voices that made the novel so rich. Palacio has perhaps mined the same material once too often. A feel-good volume lacking the wonder of Wonder. (Picture book. 5-8) - Kirkus Reviews Narrator Kivilighan de Montebello's bright, sparkling voice adds charm to Palacio's recent picture book adaption of the critically acclaimed middle-grade novel WONDER-which sparked the Choose Kind anti-bullying movement. This spin-off, aimed at younger listeners, features the voice of the beloved and unforgettable character Auggie, whose life is fraught with difficulty and loneliness due a facial deformity. The story is short on plot and character background, so listeners not familiar with the original may be confused by Auggie's daily difficulties. But the message of self-acceptance and the wonder of hope are certain to resonate with younger listeners, nonetheless. D.S. AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine - MAY 2017 - AudioFile Narrator Kivilighan de Montebello's bright, sparkling voice adds charm to Palacio's recent picture book adaption of the critically acclaimed middle-grade novel WONDER-which sparked the Choose Kind anti-bullying movement. This spin-off, aimed at younger listeners, features the voice of the beloved and unforgettable character Auggie, whose life is fraught with difficulty and loneliness due a facial deformity. The story is short on plot and character background, so listeners not familiar with the original may be confused by Auggie's daily difficulties. But the message of self-acceptance and the wonder of hope are certain to resonate with younger listeners, nonetheless. D.S. AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine - MAY 2017 - AudioFile