WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN Swells with Heart and Humor

 

TUNDRA BOOKS, 2024

Be prepared to suspend your inner cynic to embrace a naive and welcoming attitude in WE ARE DEFINITELY HUMAN by X. Fang. That's what the humans (the ones we recognize as human) do in their chance encounter with three folks whose "car" lands in the middle of the night. These beings find themselves in need of serious help. That serious dilemma doesn't diminish the over-the-top humor or the genuine heart of the story itself.

This quirky and clever story features "strangers" who instantly declare, when asked, that they are human, definitely, though clearly they are not. Definitely human. Yep. Despite their obvious differences, the kind family who locate their crashed transport vehicle open their hearts and doors to the outsiders. They are willing to take their declaration of being humans at face value and overlook unfamiliar appearances, odd behavior choices, and stilted language patterns.

The humor and vivid differences throughout allow readers to laugh at such silliness while digesting the choices being made with kindness and a gentle underlying message. This is a perfect example of my assertion that picture books are meant to be consumed as a whole, beginning to end, as an art form and story in their own right. This book, read aloud to a group or on a lap, will have everyone of many ages chuckling and likely laughing aloud. But the best books, as this one is, invite readers to go right back to page one and begin again, discovering what is lurking in the nuances and corners of the pages. 

The thoroughly simple premise opens plenty of opportunities for potential skepticism, or even a condescending assessment of the locals folks who seem clueless about being obviously misled. Instead, the readings of the story,  from first through multiples, leads to a sense of what it means to be human, definitely. Even the youngest will identify and appreciate the warmth and rightness of kindness, finding balance and truth in the impact such kindness can have on others, directly and as a ripple effect into the future. Definitely.