Wherever You Go

K-Gr 2—The road rises up to meet a bicycle-riding rabbit throughout this travelogue written by the author of Sophie's Squash ((Random, 2013).. Unless there are a lot of big vehicles, visual subplots, or a compelling narrative arc, the metaphorical use of roads easily becomes too abstract for young children—and clichéd. Miller employs singsong verses throughout, preceded by the word roads, an ellipsis, and a verb, e.g., "Roads…zoom./Beneath city buildings that tower on high,/twinkling like stars/in the dark velvet sky/Racing past signs./Reflecting their light./Zigging and zagging./Turn left. Then turn right." These constructions prove confusing, as it isn't clear whether it's the buildings or the roads that are "twinkling" and "racing." The rabbit and an owl interact with an assortment of anthropomorphized creatures as the road bends, merges, remembers, and ultimately returns home. Wheeler's watercolor and gouache scenes are defined with delicate ink lines. Pink and peach are the predominant colors of the sky, sea, trees and landscape. This palette and the settings—a paddle boat turned restaurant, a turreted tree house, a walled city hosting a carnival—create an exotic atmosphere. The characters, however, are tourists without a tale. Perhaps it works best as a candidate for a graduation present. —Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library