Daddy Badger patiently answers his Baby's barrage of questions in Timothy Knapman and Jane McGuinness's What's Next, an inquisitive, sensory-filled exploration of the forest.
Baby Badger is new to the world and curious as can be. After a thorough examination of his cozy underground home, he asks Daddy Badger, "What's next?" "There's a whole forest up above us," Daddy tells him, and together they venture aboveground to explore the nighttime, discovering the "softest moss to roll in," the tasty "bluebell bulbs" and the "perfect place to see the moon and the stars." Baby wonders what's next after nighttime? Day time! As Daddy falls asleep back home, Baby Badger sets off for the world above once more. Day is a rainbow of colors that smells "warm and fresh and just-been-rained-on"--it's "like a whole different forest!" After a long night and day of new discoveries, though, Baby Badger is tired. All alone, his "what's next?" is a scared one. But Daddy finds him and brings him home to their den, "where everything [is] just right."
Knapman's (Superhero Mom) sweet, simple language pairs cleverly with McGuinness's (Prickly Hedgehogs!) mixed-media illustrations, directing readers to examine closely the visual setting as well as the playful animals who inhabit it. Both the softly colored nighttime and brightly hued daytime images hold delightful visual treasures as the forest scenes parallel each other, the evening moths, hedgehogs and bats replaced with the morning butterflies, squirrels and birds. Children will likely enjoy the repetitive nature of What's Next? while parents can appreciate the loving relationship between father and son as Daddy Badger nurtures Baby's curious and independent spirit. Celebrating both inquiry and a loving relationship, What's Next? would make a great addition to home and school libraries. --Jennifer Oleinik, freelance writer and editor