Road Trip! A Whiskers Hollow Adventure

There's a fun midtwentieth-century flavor to the designs, established through clothing, furnishings, and technology, especially Bear's red 1940s Chevy pickup, and Light—as always—works absolute wonders in the stunningly detailed line work of his trademark fountain pens, shaded in with soft watercolors. Children poring over his art will fall entirely into Whiskers Hollow and make stories of their own as they await future adventures in this absorbing universe.

Light's book has a distinct Arthur Geisert vibe, with etchings-like illustrations full of enticing and humorous detail. . .Endpapers provide a map of Whiskers Hollow, helping young viewers place the various locales of the story and follow the trajectory of the friends' (ultimately successful) journey.

Light (Black Bird Yellow Sun) does some whimsical world-building in welcoming readers to Whiskers Hollow, where the animals are avid motorists and the roadways are huge tree branches. Scale is comically skewed: Bear, the protagonist, front-ends his pink pickup truck into a ginormous acorn, thus necessitating a road trip to find a replacement headlight. Along for the ride are snack-obsessed Rabbit and anxious Mouse, and junk connoisseur Donkey leads the caravan to Elephant's Old Junk Tree. In Light's beautifully wielded pen, ink, and gouache, the vehicles defy gravity as they zoom along the route, which includes a massively gnarled tree trunk and a tunnel of thorns straight out of a Dürer woodcut. A headlight is eventually obtained, but not before the friends goof around on a massive junk pile (another image that nods to the textures of classical printmaking), do some pratfalls into a mud puddle, and receive an impromptu shower courtesy of Elephant's trunk. Along the way, the amiable animals learn what human motorists already know: the bonding shenanigans of a road trip are really the whole point. Ages 2-5. (Feb.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-2--After a fender bender involving an acorn and his beloved old truck, Bear goes in search of a new headlight. He stops along the way to pick up his friends: snack-obsessed Rabbit, nervous Mouse, and junk-loving Donkey, who leads the way to Elephant's Old Junk Tree, where they hope to find a replacement light. The miniature friends, who vary in size only slightly, zoom around tree branches, thorny tunnels, and rickety bridges made of twigs. The delightfully detailed pen, ink and gouache illustrations depict the inside of each animal's elaborate tree trunk home, rendered in muted earth tones. Light brings his gift for intricate drawings to this diminutive forest setting, which will delight young readers who take pleasure in examining each spread. The story, while simple, will appeal to young readers who will enjoy getting transported to a friendly miniature community reminiscent of Richard Scarry's animal worlds. With cadence, repetition, and slightly elevated language, this has all the trappings of a beginning reader, without the chapter breakdowns. Intricate maps detailing the Whisker's Hollow Community on the endpapers suggest more stories from this charming animal village are to come. VERDICT A near-perfect story that invites children to look at the pages and make connections.--Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

The charm of Whiskers Hollow lies in its cockamamie proportions and intricate details. . . "Road Trip!" establishes the personalities of earnest Bear, cautious Mouse, hungry Rabbit and adventurous Donkey, all of whom children ages 3-8 will be glad to see again in future Whisker Hollow adventures.
—The Wall Street Journal 

Whiskers Hollow certainly is, with Light's intricate pencilwork and hatching revealing a magical, miniature world and a visual feast à la Richard Scarry for young readers to pore over. Spindly branches of various size reach through the pages, creating a rollercoaster effect as Bear and co. go zipping along, and the busyness of the linework maintains chaotic but controlled scenes. Fans ready to graduate from Tabor's Fox picture books (Fox and the Bike Ride, BCCB 10/17) will appreciate the energetic verve of this foursome.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 

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