Book Review: Because by Mo Willems and Amber Ren

Because by Mo Willems and Amber Ren
From Miss Jennie at Ontario

Have you ever stopped to think about the people that you see around you?  How did this person end up becoming a teacher?  Has that person always wanted to work in a restaurant?  Did he always dream of being a doctor?  Has she always wanted to help people?  So many lives are touched, changed and even transformed because of something they heard, saw, or felt.  Like a domino effect, one little tap can cause a chain reaction that just keeps going, changing people and lives along the way.

In the book Because, by Mo Willems, the reader can watch how a young girl’s life is forever changed because of events that occurred hundreds of years ago and because of other situations that were never in her control.

Because someone long ago wrote beautiful music…

Because someone liked that music and desired to write more beautiful music…

Because many different people played many different instruments…

Because he was sick, there was now an extra ticket to the orchestra…

Because she heard the beautiful music written long ago, played by the many different people on the many different instruments, it changed her. 

Because the music of long ago changed her, she now desired nothing more than to write beautiful music, too.

Mo Willems has written over fifty children’s books.  Known mostly for his humorous characters, funny situations and silly illustrations, this book feels very different than any of his others.  The story is very moving, inspiring and magical.  Illustrating her first picture book, Amber Ren created a beautiful masterpiece to help tell this story of chance that may inspire others, because, “that is how it happens”.