Have you seen tomorrow?
- phartn11
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
The remarkable thing I notice about children, is how present they are most of the time. I wonder if it’s, in part, because it’s confusing working out the difference between "morning" and "afternoon", let alone "yesterday", "today" and "tomorrow". A recent case in point, my 3 year old proudly announced, "I brushed my teeth tomorrow!!" Even so, they have this uncanny ability to live contently in the moment and it’s something we, as adults, could benefit from if we take heed and learn from them! Evidently, as we grow older, we begin to seek fulfilment from much of what is yet to happen and yearn for something that’s in the future. It starts to present in our children most obviously with their long awaited birthdays. "How many sleeps until I turn 4?" Its glorious in the way that they cherish these celebrations of their birth, however there starts this idea that here and now is not as good as the future. This contemporary fable, Have You Seen Tomorrow?, reminds the reader to live in the present with mindfulness and gratitude.
This philosophical book, Have You Seen Tomorrow? by Kyle Mewburn is a delightful fable about a little rabbit who is fed up with yesterday, thinks today is grey and gloomy and is adamant that tomorrow will be extraordinary! He sets off on a "tomorrow hunt" and using his senses to explain what tomorrow is like, he convinces his animal friends to help him on his search mission. The story hits a climax when the rabbit meets a wolf who invites him into his lair to show him where tomorrow is hiding. All's well, that end's well, when readers can thankfully breathe a sigh of relief and the moral of the story is subtly revealed.
Kyle Mewburn is a wizard with her words. She invokes imagery with every sentence written. Reading this book takes you on a magnificent journey of the senses. How's this for an example taken from page 2 in the book; "When morning poked it's long fingers deep into his burrow, Rabbit scurried outside. The sun was beaming. Birds were twittering." Laura Bee does an impeccable job with her illustrations. The rolling hills of the lush countryside and the wide expansive views of natural wonders highlight just how delightful today is - right under Rabbit's nose!
Title: Have You Seen Tomorrow?
Author: Kyle Mewburn
Illustrator: Laura Bee
What's to LOVE about this book:
The use of sensory text and imagery in the story - it truly is a feast for the senses.
The characterisation is spot-on and together with the underlying message, easily relatable to young children.
The way in which the author dabbles with a dangerous moment but swiftly moves on so as not to frighten young readers.
Favourite quote:
"Rabbit heard the sound of laughter carried on a warm spring breeze. He saw his friends far below playing in the sunshine. "That must be someone else's tomorrow, Wolf", said Rabbit. "I know where mine is after all!"
Messages:
We have so much to be grateful for right here and now. Let's stop searching for bigger and better, instead we should focus on what we already have.
We should stop and look/listen/smell the roses along the way!
Trust your instincts, and don't let others lure you from what you know to be right and true.
A warm reminder for young and old, this tale is one for the ages and a good addition to anyone's book shelf. (Amazon associate paid link)
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