Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dorléans (The Night Walk) celebrates the magic of visiting a secret fort--an event that has less to do with the physical fort itself and more with the adventure of having one. In a translation by Waters (My Valley) that captures friendly dialogue, the story follows three pink-skinned children with straight black hair as they journey fort-ward in spring. "Hey guys! Want to go to the fort?" "Yes! To the fort!" The long path pictured out the front door of a country house invites the children--and readers--deep into green hills: broad, sweeping oceans of grass and sky are washed with blues and greens; delicate tree leaves are worked in tiny, intricate black lines. Familiar rural childhood experiences--a threatening dog, a flock of sheep, snacks in a field--punctuate the group's long walk. Suddenly, the sky above darkens, birds flee, and a windstorm strikes, strong enough to knock the children over. When the skies clear and the fort is found undisturbed, their return quickly leads to planning another in this tempestuous meditation on childhood freedom. Ages 4--8. (Apr.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--"The adventure will begin the minute we step through the gate." Readers join three friends on a journey through nature to their secret fort. They trudge past the neighbor's barking dog and the sheep in the meadow, on a journey they have made before and clearly relish. That is, until the storm hits. Will the friends be able to stick together in the tumultuous weather that threatens to blow them away? Against a story of friendship, trust, and perseverance, the art uses soft colors and line work that recalls, in some scenes, the landscapes of Japanese art. A compelling use of light and dark builds suspense to the terrific climax of the storm. The fair-skinned characters with straight black hair have clothing that is old-fashioned and without reference to any specific culture. The setting is anywhere and everywhere. The storm could be their imaginations, or real. Their fort, and their "play," with dandelion flowers for tea, seems like that of far younger children, but the vocabulary, and emotional heft, skews older. VERDICT A compelling, but still optional purchase for where picture books, especially related to friendship and adventure, are regularly circulated.--Katherine Forsman
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Review by Horn Book Review
Three children venture out for a day of imaginative play on the way to visit their fort. Dorleans (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. Dorleans 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. Adrienne L. Pettinelli May/June 2022 p.118(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
