"Recommended for ages 99 and younger," Finding Muchness: How to Add More to Life by Kobi Yamada is a sweet illustrated book demonstrating different paths to leading a happy and fulfilled life. The text runs alongside an endearing duckling as he emerges from his shell into a wider world. Charles Santoso's illustrations are whimsical and beautiful, and accompany Yamada's words as they invite readers to be open to experiencing wonder and being brave. Readers watch the duckling discover new things and learn how to find "muchness," a sense of coming to the world with a heart full of hope and imagination.
Muchness is found in believing we can do something new, in splashing and dancing in puddles and believing that we can leap over logs that maybe seem a little too high. Yamada writes: "If in doubt, love more. The heart is much like a balloon: the fuller it becomes, the more it wants to fly." His accessible bits of wisdom aim to help readers to find peace, joy and contentment with themselves. He asks readers to take risks when it comes to caring deeply or looking foolish, and to "choose courage over comfort" as the little duckling continuously tries his best, whether learning to fly or facing down a big scary wave in the paper boat he makes himself. Finding Muchness is an entertaining reminder for readers to be gentle with themselves and to live in ways that honor themselves and the world around them. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer