Her family sees a deer while hanging out laundry in a translucent dawn, but the pigtailed protagonist of this spare picture book misses it because "I was getting dressed all by myself." It's not the first time she's felt out of step with her family -- too short to pick apples, too young to stay up late to see shooting stars -- so she heads out alone later that still-misty morning with a sugar cube in hope of finding the deer. At first her search is fruitless, revealing only a bird and the neighbor's dog, but once she settles quietly in the wet grass, her patience is rewarded -- not by the deer, but by its fawn. The magic of this solitary moment is framed and enlarged by the sfumato technique of MacKay's glowing illustrations ("using ink, paper, and light"), which give the illusion of light emerging from a source just out of sight or, conversely, pouring gloriously off the page. Cut paper adds definition; salt stippling creates the impression of apple blossoms; the whole becomes a world set apart from the ordinary. The protagonist, too, is out of the ordinary: returning home, she keeps her encounter with the fawn secret, her rich inner life bringing its own rewards. Anita L. Burkam March/April 2021 p.58(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Is the little child who narrates the book too little for any fun? This gentle tale goes straight to the heart of what upsets so many little ones: missing out on adventures because they are small and young. The beginning double-page spread shows three family members staring out over a full clothesline as the text reads: "This morning, Mama saw a deer. Dad and Sara saw it too." The narrator missed the sight while struggling to get dressed. The child recounts other examples of recently missed opportunities, then heads outside with a lump of sugar, hoping to lure the deer. Gorgeous, masterful art in MacKay's characteristic layered dioramas that combine drawn figures with cut, often diaphanous elements accompanies every page of spare but thoughtful text, as the child encounters other signs of nature--but no deer. When the narrator encounters the fawn of the title--"Little like me"--the two greet each other with their eyes before returning home to their respective mothers. The child looks about 3 years old and perhaps too young to be allowed a wilderness wander near protective animal mothers, but the soft and dreamy tone of the art and the text excuses the story from complete realism. The child's response to Mama's question at the end gives further empowerment to the child, who looks and listens while someone older reads this aloud. The family is an interracial one, with White-presenting father and Asian-presenting mother. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) Sweet and pretty for bedtime or naptime--and validating to little ones all the time. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Coming downstairs one morning, a little girl learns that a deer came near the house, and she missed it. "I always miss everything," she muses, ambling outdoors and silently looking for the deer. She spots a flash of brown- (a dog) and hears a rustling sound (a squirrel). After sitting quietly, she notices something in the bushes--a fawn that looks at her and blinks: "'Hello,' we say with our eyes." She watches it rise on wobbly legs and leave to find its mother. The child returns to her mama, who asks whether she saw the deer. The girl shakes her head. She saw its fawn, and she's pleased to keep that moment to herself. It's pleasing to find a picture book in which a child's experience with the natural world is direct and personal. The words are few, but well chosen. MacKay creates unusual, luminous effects using inks, layers of cut papers, and lighting. Each composition draws the viewer to areas of the picture that have significance within the narrative. A beautiful, understated picture book.