Kevin Young

One of the New York Times' "Best Children's Books of 2022"

In this lyrical picture book from an award-winning poet, a young boy cherishes a neighborhood field throughout the changing seasons. With stunning illustrations and a charming text, this beautiful story celebrates a child's relationship with nature.

There was a boy
named Emile
who fell
in love with a field.

It was wide
and blue—
and if you could have
seen it
so would've you.

Emile loves the field close to his home—in spring, summer, and fall, when it gives him bees and flowers, blossoms and leaves. But not as much in winter, when he has to share his beautiful, changeable field with other children . . . and their sleds. This relatable and lyrical ode to one boy's love for his neighborhood field celebrates how spending time in nature allows children to dream, to imagine . . . and even to share.

Reviews & Praise 

"[A] thing of beauty. From its exquisite endpapers, awash with wildflowers, and its sublime first words that evoke lolling in tall blue grasses, it captivates.”

—The New York Times Book Review

With gentle rhythms, Young’s verse captures [Emile's] observations with an emotional honesty. . . ; with an authenticity true to the impassioned feelings of children . . . ; and with a tenderness that is touching but never saccharine. . . . [An] exquisite story of one boy’s unfettered delight in nature.

—The Horn Book, starred review