The Perfect Shelter

Gr 1-2–Two sisters in a multiracial family collaborate on a shelter in the woods, until the older one’s illness disrupts their family idyll. The weather outside reflects the family’s inner turmoil as a storm scatters their fort and snow covers the area. The older sister undergoes treatment for an unnamed sickness (her scarf-wrapped head at the end suggests cancer). As her companion in fort-building convalesces, the younger sister articulates a mix of believable emotions, including worry, fear, and distraction. Gilland packs the illustrations with thriving flora and elements of cozy domesticity, maintaining a snug life-affirming sensibility throughout the story. The fort-building offers a narrative structure and a tangible metaphor for the older sister’s health, resolving as the patient grows stronger and the family works together to construct an indoor blanket fort, safe from the vicissitudes of the weather outside. But the device also seems to substitute for character development and any real sense of the family as individuals, which dampens the emotional impact.