Climbing the Volcano

October 23, 2023
Manley (The Rescuer of Tiny Creatures) writes a collection of haiku in the voice of a child whose family summits a dormant volcano in the Pacific Northwest. In digitally finished multimedia artwork that maintains a hand-drawn look, Mann (Maple and Rosemary) views the distant, glowing peak from the group’s campsite. Via the poetic form’s short lines, Manley describes the tan-skinned family setting off through pine trees, swatting mosquitoes, and spotting other beings (“I crouch down and smile/ at tiny toads”). Soon, snow appears, the pines grow shorter as treeline approaches, and more marvels emerge (“up here in the sky—/ what everyone talks about/ is butterflies”). At the summit, framed against a breathtaking expanse, the young narrator stands on the spot “I saw blazing/ at dawn.” Fragments of beauty and knowledge echo the fleeting nature of encounters with life in the wild, and readers share the young hiker’s sense of triumph at having taken on an impressive expedition that feels well within the realm of the possible. Back matter includes more about hiking and the animals mentioned. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.

December 1, 2023
A young hiker in Oregon's Cascade Range climbs up and down a slope, offering poetic observations along the way. Starting out from a campground on a chilly morning, a child in a red hoodie, accompanied by parents and a younger sibling, walks to the summit of a dormant volcano (identified at the end as South Sister in central Oregon) and back. Along the way, the child takes note in haiku of bright blue skies and a still lake, of thinning trees, bobcat tracks in the snow, tiny toads on the path, and pesky mosquitoes! Glimpses of birds and other wildlife, too, especially butterflies catching updrafts at the very top of the trail, underscore the sublime character of the natural setting. That evening, nestled in a sleeping bag, the child thinks a longer thought: "trying to sleep-- / what mountain will I climb / next?" Mann closes with a gallery of mountain flora and fauna spotted on the hike that joins an afterword in which Manley discusses his chosen poetic form (rightly allowing that it isn't as syllabically rigid as often assumed) and pointedly adds a notebook to his list of recommended hiking gear. The child and the rest of the family are brown-skinned; from indistinct views, other hikers appear to be racially diverse. Fresh and vivid. (further reading, websites) (Picture book. 6-9)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 *Starred Review* A young boy and his family awaken at their campsite and prepare to hike Oregon's South Sister, a dormant volcano. In a series of haiku, the child recounts his memories of this trek: annoying mosquitoes that swarm his face, tiny toads found on the forest floor, glaciers with snow that sometimes obscures the path, a mountain lake and a pumice desert, a marmot sunning on a boulder, a trail-mix snack, soaring ravens and colorful butterflies, and the amazing view from the summit. The verses are succinct yet very effective in conveying a sense of the trip: "how to stay warm / in the forest shade: / swat mosquitoes" and "is this the trail? / a line of pawprints / from a bobcat." Mann's colorful mixed-media artwork captures the majesty of the Cascade Mountain range ("boulders as big / as buildings") as well as the flora and fauna to be found there ("hawk floats on a thermal / looking for prey"). She makes use of varied panel sizes, enabling her to capture the essence of each haiku. Her double-page spreads depict wide vistas, while smaller close-ups portray intimate family moments. With generous back matter (geologic history, hiking necessities, haiku information, flora and fauna details, bibliography), this makes a great read-aloud or prelude to a family adventure.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 19, 2024

PreS-Gr 3-An amazing adventure written entirely in haiku. Manley takes readers through a hike to the summit of a mountain. The details conveyed in each set of three lines fully express the journey through the levels up the mountain path. Readers join in the traveler's experience and in the end, will want to find their own mountains to climb. Besides simply sharing the book in story hours, educators can use it in poetry lessons, story writing, the study of mountain ecosystems, nature hikes, and more. Mann's deceptively simple sketches communicate a vast array of colors, textures, diversity, and warmth in the world; readers will want to pore over every detail on every page. It is a clean, crisp story with simple, comfortable art that exudes adventure, curiosity and the intricacies of the natural world. VERDICT A small quest, told in a short-poem form that has a wide-ranging impact, this one little volume can be used and enjoyed in so many ways.-Cassie Veselovsky

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Manley offers a child's point of view of a day-long hike up a mountain (identified in the back matter as the South Sister in Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range). Each stage of the hike is described in a rich, telegraphic three-line haiku poem, beginning with a blazing sunrise. Readers follow along as the child swats away mosquitoes, passes a rushing stream, trudges through the snow, munches trail mix, reaches the summit, and heads back down and to the campsite for bedtime: "trying to sleep -- / what mountain will I climb / next?" The economy of words in the haiku form fits the way a child might think and particularly seems to suit the exercise of describing a demanding hike while actually in the midst of one. Mann's mixed-media illustrations work perfectly in tandem with the haiku narration, alternating perspectives -- featuring the landscape and the views, or the child's close observations, or the family on the move. Her cartoonlike characters pop against the natural setting, especially the child protagonist in an orange hoodie and green pants. Back matter includes information about the history and geology of the region, hiking tips, a visual index, a list of resources, and a note about haiku form, which debunks the idea that English-language haiku must follow a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Sylvia Vardell

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Manley offers a child's point of view of a day-long hike up a mountain (identified in the back matter as the South Sister in Oregon's Cascade Mountain Range). Each stage of the hike is described in a rich, telegraphic three-line haiku poem, beginning with a blazing sunrise. Readers follow along as the child swats away mosquitoes, passes a rushing stream, trudges through the snow, munches trail mix, reaches the summit, and heads back down and to the campsite for bedtime: "trying to sleep -- / what mountain will I climb / next?" The economy of words in the haiku form fits the way a child might think and particularly seems to suit the exercise of describing a demanding hike while actually in the midst of one. Mann's mixed-media illustrations work perfectly in tandem with the haiku narration, alternating perspectives -- featuring the landscape and the views, or the child's close observations, or the family on the move. Her cartoonlike characters pop against the natural setting, especially the child protagonist in an orange hoodie and green pants. Back matter includes information about the history and geology of the region, hiking tips, a visual index, a list of resources, and a note about haiku form, which debunks the idea that English-language haiku must follow a 5-7-5 syllable pattern.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)