Lost and Found

Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, two white French children, Adele and Simon, journey throughout historical China with their photographer uncle, Sidney.Before they set off, Uncle Sidney buys the two travelers gifts, including a camera for Adele and an abacus, a scroll, knapsack, and other items for Simon. The illustrated list of objects proves helpful later on. As they travel from place to place, Adele writes postcards to her mama about the many sights they see as well as cataloging the gifts that Simon loses along the way. But, as Adele's photographs later reveal, each object was there all along. Much as in the popular search-and-find book Where's Waldo, readers can search for Simon's lost objects among the teeming double-page illustrations of 11 diverse locales. These include detailed renderings, done in McClintock's trademark, vibrant pen-and-ink-and-watercolor style, of a bustling marketplace in Peking, a complex of monasteries in the Wudang Mountains, and the sprawling carved hillsides in southern China. With the children's route outlined in red, the opening period map of China provides great perspective on how vast and varied this country was and still is. Since this is a historical view of China, many of the Chinese men wear queues, which can lead to further conversations with young readers. A pleasurable way to explore China, complete with insightful author's notes for each locale in the backmatter. (Picture book. 4-10) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 3-This addition to the children's saga finds Adele and Simon touring China with their uncle. Told through postcards written by Adele, this adventure is a true delight. With stops in Hong Kong, Tongli, and Shanghai (to name a few locales), this is a beautifully blended masterpiece of art and history. As with the other books in this series, Simon loses items along the way, prompting a fun search-and-find aspect that readers will love. The endnotes contain blurbs about each location, including significant historical information. VERDICT The intricate, vintage-style illustrations and interesting historical facts will be sure to please a wide audience. Young armchair travelers will want to pore over this one.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh

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