The End Is Just the Beginning by Diana Mayo, Mike Bender
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers ISBN: 1984896938
Pages: 40
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

This picture book for children in grades Pre-k to 2, starts with the word “The End”.  A caterpillar reassures listeners that the end of something is the start of something else.  What follows is an illustrative listing of how that is possible:  a fair skinned child, and a dark skinned girl take a bike ride, blast off into space, go snorkeling, have a disagreement on the beach and a get well card is created among other things.  It is unclear if the children are siblings or friends.  Readers will notice the caterpillar making a chrysalis a few pages into the book and at the end of the story a butterfly comes into the picture.  Mayo’s acrylic paint, colored pencil and collage illustrations use a pastel and grey hue except when the children are blasting off into space.  The space pages have the text in a circle around the earth and forming a large infinity symbol.  This concept book provides concrete ideas that preschoolers will understand and will be useful for classrooms or individual lap-sharing.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services, Springvale Public Library