by Meghan Wilson Duff (Author) Taylor Barron (Illustrator)
A neurodivergent child interacts with their neighbors to discover the true meaning behind greetings and salutations.
When people say "How are you?" are they really asking or just saying hello? Verity, who is neurodivergent, plans an experiment to figure this out. Verity is bubbling with excitement about an upcoming school field trip to the aquarium!
When neighbors ask, "How are you?"
Verity shares their excitement and fascinating facts about sea animals. Their older brother John kindly suggests that the question "How are you?" is actually a greeting and not an invitation to share so much. Verity plans an experiment to find out if their brother is right. But when the trip to the aquarium is cancelled, Verity is heartbroken. When people ask "How are you?" what should they say then?
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Verity 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. (Aug.)
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