The More You Pause

Noticing by Kobi Yamada, Elise Hurst
Compendium, January 15, 2023

How often do we pause in the busyness of our daily lives to truly appreciate and see the world and individuals in front of us? While the frenetic nature of our days can prevent us from engaging in valuable reflection and perspective-taking, the picture book Noticing, written by acclaimed author Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Elise Hurst, challenges readers to do just that. Through this story about a painter who helps a young girl recognize the possibilities in an ordinary day, Yamada and Hurst encourage readers to savor otherworldly pictures and take to heart an underlying message: looking for the good in others enables us to find it in ourselves. As Yamada writes, “The more you pause and allow for the extraordinary, the more you find it. And often what we see depends on what we look for.” Educators and parents will find this text engaging and thought-provoking for students of all ages. In a world that moves much too quickly, Noticing urges readers to slow down to pay attention to their surroundings and embrace curiosity rather than rushing to judgment.