Description
Book SynopsisA neurodivergent child interacts with their neighbors to discover the true meaning behind greetings and salutations.
Trade ReviewVerity must navigate the titular question’s multiple social meanings in this personal-feeling story, which draws on the author’s experiences. In neighborhood settings, community members portrayed with varying skin tones ask brown-skinned, bespectacled Verity, “How are you?” and the exuberant child responds at length with information about sea creatures. When big brother John observes that the question is generally considered a greeting rather than an invitation for elaboration, Verity experiments with the concept. The exercise grows more complex when a canceled field trip to the aquarium leaves Verity feeling down, prompting a sincere version of the query from John—and provoking a heart-to-heart that revives the protagonist. Barron’s flattened, unlined renderings stylishly play with shape, pattern, and, aptly, perspective. An author’s note from Wilson Duff discusses neurodiversity. Ages 4–8. * Publishers Weekly *
