Six for Setting Out

By John Peters -- School Library Journal, 3/1/2007

The old saw about the longest journeys beginning with a single step doesn't take into account the pleasures of armchair travel—or, for that matter, the "urge for going" that has to come first anyway. So, in the spirit of "striking out for new ground" that characterizes the redesign of this Web site—and for young readers who don't want to get too far from the refrigerator—here are gathered some recent books that not only feature long journeys, both real and figurative, but also explore the sometimes-profound motives that impelled them.

AHLBERG, Alan. The Shopping Expedition. illus. by Andre Amstutz. Candlewick. 2005. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-2586-3.

PreS-Gr 2–What begins as an ordinary outing turns into an extraordinary adventure. Accompanied by her mother, baby brother, and Wilf the Wonderdog, a child sets out for the store with a mundane shopping list. The first obstacles are rather ordinary: "the car broke down, but we kept going./The rain came down, but we kept going." As the journey progresses, both the events and the solutions become more unusual as the family encounters snow, passes through a thick jungle full of dangerous creatures, and finally crosses the sea to reach their destination. Amstutz's richly colored illustrations have a painterly look, often with visible brush strokes, that really suits the imaginative subject matter. The repetitive phrase keeps the pace of the story going and works well for reading aloud. A great addition for sharing in storytime or one-on-one.–Robin L. Gibson, formerly at Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH

BROWN, Don. Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa. illus by the author. oughton. 2000. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-618-00273-3; pap. $5.95. ISBN 978-0-618-36916-4.

Gr 1-3–The author of Ruth Law Thrills a Nation (Ticknor & Fields, 1993), Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure (1997), and Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries (1999, both Houghton) brings another unsung female adventurer to light. Confined in a Victorian manse with bricked up windows, Kingsley spent her young years caring for her bedridden mother and awaiting the intermittent visits of her peripatetic father. Resourceful and independent, she escaped through the books she read in her father's library. Released from her servitude by her parents' death, the 30-year-old woman embarked on extended travels to Africa, where she found her spiritual home and felt a kinship with the native people. She returned to England to write and lecture on her observations. Brown's spare text, filled with perfectly chosen details, gives individuality to a universally appealing tale of a neglected child who eventually triumphs through her own spirit of independence. By incorporating quotes from his subject's writing, the author provides an accurate picture of her common sense, her sense of humor, of wonder, and of self. The sketchy watercolor illustrations accurately convey the dreariness of her childhood, but are less successful in portraying her travels. Dominant hues of gray, brown, green, and blue effectively evoke settings and transitions, but the details in the drawings are as disappointing as the ones in the text are delightful. The human figures are shadowy, with hollow eyes, stiff arms, and pallid complexions. It is unfortunate that the visuals don't support the beauty, excitement, and lushness that so enthralled Kingsley.–Starr LaTronica, Four County Library System, Vestal, NY

FREEDMAN, Russell. The Adventures of Marco Polo. illus by Bagram Ibatoulline. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks. 2006. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-0-439-52394-3.

Gr 5-9–In an age when critics obsess about the blurred line between fact and fiction, Freedman prepares readers for ambiguity right from the contents page. "Nothing But the Truth" is both the title of his first chapter and a phrase pulled from Polo's book, The Description of the World. Apparently the Venetian's own family doubted the veracity of his version of the 24-year, 6500-mile journey to and sojourn in Kublai Khan's court and begged him to recant on his deathbed. The chapter "Did Marco Polo Go to China?" presents current scholarship challenging the nobleman's claims, as well as plausible counterarguments. In between, readers find a flavor of the adventurer's early and final years, descriptions of treacherous mountain excursions and raging sandstorms, and details of the splendor and sophistication of Xanadu, where Polo served as envoy to the emperor. The accounts are accompanied by original and archival illustrations and maps; extensive endnotes provide further documentation. Many of the illuminated manuscripts come from various editions of Polo's book; they span several centuries. Ibatoulline's handsome single-page paintings appear at the beginning of each chapter, anchoring the telling, even while the artistic conventions adapt to the culture being depicted. The calligraphic font of the chapter headings and the parchmentlike pages add to the sense of an authentic experience. The author's in-depth narrative style and historian's skepticism require more background knowledge and a longer attention span than Nick McCarty's Marco Polo (National Geographic, 2006), but the effort will be richly rewarded.–Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

REID, Barbara. The Subway Mouse. illus by the author. Scholastic. 2005. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-439-72827-0.

K-Gr 2–Nib lives with his family beneath a busy subway station. He loves to listen to stories, especially those about a special but dangerous place called Tunnel's End. A true pack rat, he collects all sorts of objects and lovingly arranges them into a cozy nest. When he returns to find that his cousins have ransacked his home, he decides to leave and go in search of Tunnel's End. Along the way he meets Lola, a female mouse who joins him. When they finally crawl out of the tunnel and into a starlit night, they discover a world that is more dangerous than they expected, but also more beautiful, and make a home together. Although the story is somewhat flat and predictable, Reid's artwork is outstanding. The pictures were made "with plasticine that is shaped and pressed onto illustration board"; decorated with acrylic paint, found objects, and other materials; and then photographed. The objects (Popsicle sticks, lollipops, candy wrappers, etc.) are used with great creativity. The images are both realistic and clever and have an inviting, three-dimensional appearance. Young children will pore over the details and older children will get ideas to create their own pictures.–Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City

RUMFORD, James. Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 1325-1354. illus by author. Houghton. 2001. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-618-08366-4; pap. $5.95. ISBN 978-0-618-43233-2.

Gr 3-6–"In the days when the earth was flat and Jerusalem was the center of the world, there was a boy named Ibn Battuta." So begins this introduction to the journeys of this historically important but probably little-known, 14th-century Muslim figure. Born in Morocco and raised as a scholar, he began his 29 years of travel in 1325 when, "At twenty-one, he decided to go to Mecca as a pilgrim." He went on through Africa, across the steppes of Asia, into India and China, and back to Morocco where "he told his story to the Moroccan court secretary Ibn Juzayy, who wrote it down in Arabic." Rumford's simply written adaptation is often surprisingly eloquent. For example, Ibn Battuta comments on his voyage: "Traveling–it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." "Traveling–it had captured my heart, and now my heart was calling me home." On each page, a portion of the text appears within its own bright white narrow road crossing elegantly bordered illustrations that shine with generous amounts of gold, red, and deep blue. This text also flows into and out of larger frames. The artist adorns many of these illustrations with Arabic and Chinese calligraphy, providing translations for the longer phrases at the end of the book. A few maps are included and they are executed with the same attention to presentation. A glossary of names, places, and important words provides essential information in an accessible format. Simply put, this is a beautifully crafted work that will undoubtedly spark interest and encourage further study.–Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools

SHULEVITZ, Uri. The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela: Through Three Continents in the Twelfth Century. illus by author. Farrar. 2005. Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-374-37754-0.

Gr 4-8–Benjamin, a Spanish Jew, left his native town of Tudela in 1159 to embark on a 14-year journey across the Middle East. His Book of Travels, written in Hebrew, recounts his grueling, often-dangerous journey through what is modern-day France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt. Encounters with warring Crusaders and Muslims, rapacious pirates, and bandits added to his hardships. Shulevitz re-creates this epic journey in a picture book of epic proportions, adapting Benjamin's account into a detailed, first-person narrative, accompanied by large, ambitious illustrations that evoke the landscapes, people, architecture, and history of the places that Benjamin saw. Darker, freer, and more impressionistic than Shulevitz's familiar work, the art is often indebted to medieval manuscript painting and Persian miniatures. Meticulously researched, with a long bibliography, lengthy author's note, and brief insets containing information that complements Benjamin's descriptions, this oversize picture book is obviously a labor of love. Wherever he went, Benjamin visited Jewish communities. Shulevitz's retelling stands as a testimony to the history, wisdom, and fortitude of those medieval Jews living precariously under Christian or Muslim rule. Both art and text will help readers imagine life during that time and, perhaps, provide a context for the contemporary turmoil in the lands Benjamin visited so long ago.–Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams