  | Drawn onward Author: Nayeri, Daniel | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
A young boy grieving the loss of his mother embarks on a lushly fantastical adventure that illuminates what remains when our loved ones are gone.
| Illustrator: | Rockefeller, Matt |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (08/01/24)
Booklist (+) (06/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 08/01/2024 *Starred Review* “She was gone,” begins this marvel of a palindromic picture book, as a son and father grieve together in their isolated mountain home. Nayeri’s text is sparse but heartrending, sparking large questions that drive readers forward and allowing Rockefeller ample space to construct an evocative fantasy world. The boy, distraught, takes off with a sword and shield on a multi-spread odyssey through various terrains and fantastical encounters, fleeing from danger to danger on his quest to find “the answer.” Rockefeller unifies each section under a common color tone, giving vibrancy and emotion to each segment as the boy escapes giant forest spiders, falls past mushroom-mining gnomes, crashes into a water serpent’s murky lake, washes ashore a crystal desert, and finally finds the wintry ruins of a collapsed tower. There stands a statue of a woman, strangled by an evil vine, and the story’s central line, its hinge, is presented: “Mom, were you glad you were Mom?” As the story-wide palindrome begins its reverse course, the boy journeys back home, the answer held to his heart, and it provides the key to unlocking the secrets hidden within the previously fled obstacles. Repeat readings will be demanded, with the wildly detailed full-bleed art, paneled by artfully “painted” wood-frame gutters, providing unnumbered symmetries and connections for readers to discover. A touching triumph of artful collaboration between wordsmithing and world building. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
