Angela's Glacier

Starred review from October 16, 2023
Scott (My Baba’s Garden) writes of a relationship that grows between a child and a wonder of the natural world: a glacier, Iceland’s Snæfellsjökull. Though it’s covered in clouds in the days before Angela’s birth, the glacier emerges “peacock indigo and duck-egg blue under the milky Arctic sunlight” as her father holds his infant daughter up to see it. “I will take you there,” he promises, and he does, carrying her on his back, and chanting the glacier’s name to the beats of his own stride. Painting loosely in digitally finished gouache watercolor that foregrounds the striated landscape, its wildlife, and the pale-skinned family, Sudyka (Little Land) portrays Angela’s solo visits to the glacier over the years: “She listened to the temperature,” feels its contours with her hands, and whispers to it. But as she grows older, “school,/ friends,/ violin,/ soccer,/ bike rides,/ homework” steal her attention away, and the lack of visits make her heart sound strange to her. Then a journey up the glacier inspires a new vow, one that binds the glacier’s name to her heartbeat. It’s a deeply felt portrait of nature and self made more urgent by back matter that discusses the possible imminence of the glacier’s disappearance. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator’s agent: Andrea Morrison, Writers House.

December 15, 2023
A girl forms an intimate friendship with an Icelandic natural wonder. On the day she's born, Angela's father introduces her to Sn�fellsj�kull, an enormous glacier visible from Reykjavik. Before Angela can walk, they hike there, daughter atop Dad's back. Her father teaches her to say the glacier's name using the rhythm that their footfalls tap out: "SN� (left foot) FELLS (right foot) J� (left foot) KULL (right foot)." (The title page offers pronunciation guidance.) As Angela grows, she makes solo treks and listens, with her whole body, to the glacier's colors, sounds, and temperature. Angela also lets the glacier listen to her as she confides secrets. But eventually life intrudes, and she spends less time hiking. Her heart feels different; her father guesses she's stayed away too long. Angela returns and reacquaints herself with her friend. She knows she can't halt the passage of time--indeed, an afterward notes that because of climate change, the glacier will be gone within 20 years--but promises she'll always visit and listen. That night, her heart beats the rhythm of her beloved friend's name. This is a gentle story about how a bond with nature can transform one's life; it may inspire readers to engage with their own surroundings. The lovely illustrations, created with gouache watercolors enhanced digitally and dominated by blues, capture the glacier's magnificence and Angela's fierce love. She and her dad are light-skinned. A reminder not only of nature's delicate beauty, but also of its fragility. (Picture book. 6-9)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
The day Angela is born, the glacier Snaefellsjokull (a real Icelandic landmark) appears from behind a cloudy cover. Later, her father helps her learn the glacier's name as they hike to the peak: "Snae (left foot) fells (right foot) jo (left foot) kull (right foot)." Angela looks at, listens to, and speaks to the glacier, and bares her hands to feel its icy surface as she shares her emotions (fears such as falling off her bike; missing her dad when he's at work). Sudyka's contrasting, often translucent watercolors balance the cool swaths of blues and greens across the face of the glacier with lines etched across its frozen surface. Over time, Angela's days fill up with "school, friends, violin, soccer, bike rides, homework." But something isn't quite right, and her father asks if she's been to Snaefellsjokull lately. Scott's narrative uncovers the healing, centering power of nature and reciprocity of care between humankind and the natural world. Though the story does not outwardly call for environmental conservation, a note from interdisciplinary artist-researcher Angela Rawlings (Scott's friend and the book's inspiration) discusses the detrimental impact of climate change on Snaefellsjokull. Grace McKinney Beermann

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

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 *Starred Review* A deep and enduring connection between a girl and an Icelandic glacier is warmly explored in this lyrical picture book. When Angela is born, the majestic Sn�fellsj�kull peak comes into view. Her father cradles her carefully in his arms "like a fragile icicle" and promises to take her there. Communing with nature on daily hiking excursions, Angela's father carries her on his back and recites the glacier's name like a meditative, rhythmic mantra: ""SN� (LEFT FOOT) FELLS (RIGHT FOOT) J� (LEFT FOOT) KULL (RIGHT FOOT)."" Over the years, the child pays poetic attention to the colors, temperature, and feel of the ancient ice and also confides her own secrets. When Angela gets older and busier, she walks away from her glacier, but the distance wreaks havoc on her heart. A reunion reminds her to listen to herself and to the environment that sustains her. Sudyka's atmospheric gouache watercolors capture the stunning beauty of the enormous glacier in swirling shades of "peacock indigo and duck-egg blue," the rugged landscape of Iceland and its arctic foxes and pixie lichen, and the close relationship between father and daughter. Respect for nature comes through crystal clear. An endnote from Angela Rawlings (Scott's friend who inspired this story) offers more information about glaciers and the threat of extinction due to global warming. A lovingly rendered natural picture-book wonder.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 1, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-The intimate connection between nature and identity is beautifully realized in the pages of this exquisite story about a girl and her glacier. When baby Angela comes into the world, her father introduces her to Sn�fellsj�kull, the majestic glacier near their cozy Arctic village. As she grows, Angela develops a deep emotional bond with the glacier, and it is in this sacred space where she connects to her truest self. As she becomes distracted with other activities in her tween and teen years, she feels something is missing, and her father wisely suggests revisiting her glacier. Their essential connection is reforged, and she promises to always come back. Though most readers don't have their own personal glacier, many will relate to the concept of a special location or tradition that serves as a touch point for who they are and what they believe in. Mesmerizing illustrations in digitally finished gouache paintings bring Angela's world to life, capturing the glacier's myriad shades of blue and drawing readers into the chill of swirling northern winds. The afterword includes a note from the author about his inspiration and a beautifully written message from the real-life Angela that expounds on the glacier and touches on its fragile existence in the face of climate change. VERDICT A first purchase for picture book collections, this book is an enchanting homage to the natural world and the importance of being true to ourselves.-Allison Tran

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
The day Angela is born, the glacier Snaefellsjokull (a real Icelandic landmark) appears from behind a cloudy cover. Later, her father helps her learn the glacier's name as they hike to the peak: "Snae (left foot) fells (right foot) jo (left foot) kull (right foot)." Angela looks at, listens to, and speaks to the glacier, and bares her hands to feel its icy surface as she shares her emotions (fears such as falling off her bike; missing her dad when he's at work). Sudyka's contrasting, often translucent watercolors balance the cool swaths of blues and greens across the face of the glacier with lines etched across its frozen surface. Over time, Angela's days fill up with "school, friends, violin, soccer, bike rides, homework." But something isn't quite right, and her father asks if she's been to Snaefellsjokull lately. Scott's narrative uncovers the healing, centering power of nature and reciprocity of care between humankind and the natural world. Though the story does not outwardly call for environmental conservation, a note from interdisciplinary artist-researcher Angela Rawlings (Scott's friend and the book's inspiration) discusses the detrimental impact of climate change on Snaefellsjokull.

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