(1) K-3 Translated by Alyson Waters. Three children venture out for a day of imaginative play on the way to visit their fort. Dorléans (The Night Walk, rev. 5/21) centers nature in illustrations that overflow in springtime shades of sage green and sky blue, and her fine-lined work emphasizes each leaf and blade of grass. The children's conversation is rooted in the natural world as they experience it, too--naming sheep, brainstorming ways to improve their fort (if only their parents would let them take a saw!), and speculating on what would happen if they got lost ("'We'll have to make a campfire and sleep in the woods.' 'And eat grasshoppers, field mice, and mushrooms'"). Readers will notice the day slowly darkening and the wind picking up before the characters do, but even a passing (and perhaps exaggerated) windstorm becomes part of the escapade as the children huddle together and hold onto one another to stay upright. Dorléans demonstrates a keen eye and ear for the chatter and preoccupations of children left to their own devices, and her story shows respect for their independence, creativity, and resilience. This celebration of a day spent outdoors may inspire young readers to embark on their own explorations, and it serves to remind adults why unstructured time is so valuable.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(1) K-3 Translated by polly Lawson. Awakened by their mother's voice and a sliver of light through their bedroom door, two children sleepily dress so they can "get there on time." Where they're going is a mystery for readers, but the family of four ventures eagerly into the dark within the immersive full-bleed double-page spreads. Some stark, some diffuse, and some barely visible white lights pierce the blue-hued night world as the family members make their way past darkened homes and a brightly lit hotel toward a star-encrusted horizon. Beyond the town, they see curled-up cows and a faraway train "slic[ing] through the darkness." The poetic, evocative text immerses readers in a nocturnal world; as the family finds its way through the woods, for example, "the bark smelled comforting." With urgency, yet in awe, the family stops to rendezvous with the moon's reflection upon the surface of a hidden pond and to lie back and gaze in wonder at the night sky. Painstaking line and graphite-pencil shading create depth and dimension for the various tree-lined, rocky, and mountainous terrains depicted along the way. At long last, the four gather atop a boulder to witness the break of dawn--that's where we were going. This hushed, intimate picture book creates a respite from the demands of the daytime world and pulls readers into a moment of pure wonder and peace.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021