The seventh collaboration between Curtis and Cornell is a dialogue between a child and a parent about being human, being the best one can be, and understanding that it's the journey and not the destination that counts.

Reviews

K-Gr 3-Curtis writes so very well, in infectious toe-tapping poetic form, of the inner thoughts and worries that children struggle with all too frequently. Here, a boy asks his mother the title question. He continues, "If the race is unfair, will I succeed?" His mother tells her son that it's often better to help others and make the world a better place than to win first place in a foot race. Cornell's ink-and-color wash cartoons are a perfect match to Curtis's lilting text. The detailed spreads will fascinate young readers. For instance, on the page on which the child asks, "-is Dad on my team?" the illustrations show his father, grandad, and a multitude of ancestors back to cavemen. When he worries about making the wrong turn, a maze full of children of different ethnicities is depicted. This book should be enjoyed by the whole human race.-Alice DiNizo, Plainfield Public Schools, NJ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.