Hike

The handsome digital artwork clearly expresses the characters' emotions as well as the beauty and majesty of the natural world...A near-wordless book seems a particularly appropriate way of communicating the quiet yet powerful experience of walking through a wilderness area. A memorable picture book on enjoying the natural world.

There's gentle humor throughout, and the loving relationship between this father and child enjoying the outdoors together is movingly emphasized. Oswald's use of earth tones and textures reinforces the beauty of the natural world and the importance of sustaining it through simple family traditions like this one.

Nature forms the backdrop of this largely wordless picture book, beginning with the nature motif of a child's chamber. A brown-skinned father gently nudges his sleeping child as morning sun spills into the darkened room. The child rubs their eyes, remembers something wonderful, and leaps out of bed to assemble a hat and backpack, sturdy shoes, and a compass and map (a cat assists with the preparations). Then the two are on their way out of town and into the wilderness. With a gentle, misty palette and slender, angular figures, this journey by Oswald (The Sad Little Fact) follows the duo into the forest, capturing small dramas along the way--fear of crossing a log over a river made easier with an outstretched hand, a snack overlooking a magnificent vista, a final shared task. The beauty of the natural world is viewed through the lens of the relationship between parent and child; their closeness is what gives this outdoor experience meaning. On the way home, their eyes meet in the rear-view mirror; they know they've shared something special, a moment underscored by a final spread of the two cuddling on the sofa. Ages 4-8. Agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Mar.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-3--This almost wordless book takes readers through a journey from the city to the heights of the timberland, an adventure that begins in the dark of night through the early morning--a preparation time for father and child. Sleepily waking, dressing with care and filling the backpack, father and son drive through the rising dawn to wind past green columns of trees. A bird's perspective finds a young fox and eggs in a nest. A series of vignettes captures deer, hidden insects, a flying eagle, and even the prints of a bear. Late snow, a challenging walk, and a quiet meal precede a final climb and a shared tradition amid the trees. Painted landscapes conjure the soft haze of forest waterfalls, mountain vistas, watery strokes of tree branches, small details of flowers, woodland creatures, and the warm expressions between parent and child. VERDICT A suggested first purchase for all libraries, this visual feast evokes a breathtaking climb to the heights, where the absence of text reflects the serenity of the mountain and those who quietly rejoice in the hike.--Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.