This search story will remind many readers of the Caterpillar's question to Alice ho are you?" ich totally flummoxes her, and it does the same to the tiny animal who is asked "Wutaryoo?" by every other animal she meets in the jungle. Wutaryoo looks as if she was put together by committee, having a cat-like face, a squirrel-like tail, and backwards-facing elephantine ears. She lives alone in a hole and has no idea where she came from. The other animals, though, regale Wutaryoo and any animal within earshot with their own origins. Wutaryoo embarks on a long journey to find her roots, meeting strange creatures along the way, and when she gets back, she still doesn't have a backstory, but she has a tale that awes the rest of the animals. Through the highly entertaining origin stories here, aided by color-drenched digital illustrations, Wutaryoo's realization that you are the story you live may be especially relevant to adopted, foster, and donor-conceived children.

A mysterious creature-the only one of her kind-undertakes a journey to discover her true name and from whence she came.Wutaryoo, a small, furry, bushy-tailed critter with two tiny horns, is so named because all her life she has been asked the same question: "What are you?" All the other animals know their origins. "In the beginning, my people were as large as trees and ruled the world," the wren relays, and wolf recounts how "in the beginning my people were born in moonlight," but Wutaryoo has no clue about her ancestry. "What am I? Who are my people? Where did I come from?" she wonders and sets off on a quest across the prehistoric Earth to find out. Wutaryoo's odyssey takes her to "strange shores" where she has memorable adventures and meets marvelous creatures she has never seen before. She journeys so far that she arrives at "the very beginning of the world." In the end, although the traveler has not found answers, what she does have is a story to tell-and friends who want to hear it. Magruder's training as an animator is evident in both the perspectives of the digital illustrations and the use of light to create wonderfully contrasting moods. The text is well turned, with the philosophical appeal of a mythical hero's journey.Readers, with their varying levels of experience around identity, will decide the degree of satisfaction this provides. (Picture book. 4-7)

PreS-Gr 3 Wutaryoo is unlike any other animal in her habitat; in fact, she is so unique that neither she nor her friends can quite determine what kind of animal she is. Her appearance is a combination of physical traits of other animals, which heightens the mystery of her identity. Unlike Wutaryoo, other animals in the kingdom can provide a name, where they are from, and how they arrived at their shared home at a particular point in time. Although she is saddened by her lack of knowledge, Wutaryoo embarks on a journey of discovery in which she learns the folklore, ancestry, and origin story of animals around the world, creating her own story in the process. McGruder's ( How to Find a Fox ) watercolor illustrations and generous use of earthy colors are as varied as the strange and wonderful creatures Wutaryoo encounters. Older, more discerning readers may identify several possible interpretations of Wutaryoo's story, while all will get the message that they have the power to create their own story and define who they are. VERDICT A warmhearted tale of the journey to self-discovery, this is recommended for school and public libraries serving children. Tamela Chambers