Many fields and forests away from the world of busy town, on the outskirts of a nearby countryside, lives a little bunny named Nicholas.
Nicholas is the child in all of us. He likes to chase butterflies, watch the frogs, and blow dandelion seeds into the sky.
The theme of seasons and the beautiful changes that mother nature cycles through are vibrantly illustrated by veteran children's book illustrator Richard Scarry. And here's a sweet (but unverified) tidbit: Author Ole Risom must have written the story for his son, who is named none other than Nicholas.
The details in the illustrations—from the splash of rain drops and fiery autumn leaves to the intricate patterns on butterfly wings—are so vivid yet dreamy enough to capture the gentle tone of Nicholas's world. There is also an innocence about Nicholas and his days playing outside and interacting with the natural world around him that I appreciate.
Last year, I had the privilege of meeting a Portland filmmaker named Meg Merrill who screened her latest film PLAY AGAIN in Honolulu last year. She shared that since the onset of the digital "revolution," today's kids spend most of their time indoors, behind screens (tv, computer, video games, cell phone) than they do playing outside, unplugged. Statistics average it to a boggling 7 daily hours per child, which is almost a work day! I know as adults, most of us are engaged in important, world-saving tasks when behind a screen (ahem), but these are children! How productive and healthy can their virtual habits—in some cases, addiction—be?
Perhaps it's time to go back to the basics.
Play outside, go bare feet, feel a ladybug crawl on your arm.
Simplicity is sublime.
And don't forget to read a real book, the kind with pages where you feel its weight in your hands. Even that book with the old musty smell. Sometimes, those books have the best stories inside.
words by Ole Risom
pictures by Richard Scarry
© 1963, renewed 1991 by Random House/Little Golden Books
