I want to talk about Plume. I’m pretty new to picture books, but Plume absolutely fascinates me because it effortlessly conveys so many life-lessons with so few words.
We all know that cats are curious, and it’s highly likely that this is the reason they need nine lives. It’s also one of the main things that make cats—sorry, dog people—so lovable. Their sense of wonder at the world compels them to act. Just dangle a string in front of them.
Plume teaches us that curiosity is the basis for learning. Plume isn’t sitting around like some sort of Stoic cat he’s catching feathers. Plume playfully peers at his prey and then—whoosh! Another feather caught.
In his own evasive way, I think Plume wants us to be curious too.
Watch the trailer: Plume
We often think of adventure as something grand, something transforming, something we have to go elsewhere for. And that may often be the case. But the truth is, learning is life’s greatest adventure. Is learning not grand, transforming, and unlimited in scope?
Why does Plume want those feathers? Well, I think the feathers teach Plume about his favorite subject: birds. And with each feather Plume collects, he has a whole new adventure.
Though it’s subtle, I think Plume wants us to collect our own set of feathers (without harming the birds, of course!).
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But here’s the thing about adventures: nobody wants just one. Plume wants a whole collection of adventures!
If you love cats, you know that—unlike dogs—they’ll never stay interested in any single thing very long. Plume craves a variety of experiences because diversity fuels imagination.
The more birds he encounters, the more his imagination runs wild. And the imagination is an endless world of curiosity creating adventure.
Plume wants us to find adventure, discover wonder, and chase our dreams.
Plume is available at Amazon, Christianbook.com, Barnes, and Noble, and anywhere Eerdmans Books for Young Readers picture books are sold.
