The Crossing

Starred review from April 25, 2011
Through the eyes of baby Jean Baptiste, carried on his mother's back, Napoli (Mama Miti) tells the story of Shoshoni woman Sacagawea's 16-month voyage with pioneers Lewis and Clark from North Dakota to Missouri and back in search of a water passage to the west. Short, poetic descriptions of the landscape and journey ("We paddle/ against the current/ till Bia' points/ at Beaverhead Rock,/ her childhood home at last") close with onomatopoetic phrases that refer to the many animals they meet during the journey: ("Whoop, whoop,/ men dance,/ slip, slip,/ ermines race/ in my dreams." Madsen's (Family Huddle) full-bleed full- and half-spread digital artwork is rendered in warm, earthy hues, shot through with tiny, crackling lines that give the images an aura of old oil paintings. He depicts the changing seasons, modes of transportation (sailboat, canoe, horses), countryside, lodging (teepees, forts), and animal life (cougars, elk, goats, owls) the travelers encounter, readily conveying the majesty and geographic biodiversity of the American west. A refreshing new angle on a familiar story of American history. Ages 4â8.

May 1, 2011

Riding in a cradle board on his mother's back, Sacagawea's baby son Jean Baptiste provides a fresh perspective on Lewis and Clark's monumental westward journey from Fort Mandan, N.D., across the northwestern United States to the Pacific and back between 1805 and 1806.

When Shoshoni guide Sacagawea embarks with the Lewis and Clark expedition, little Jean Baptiste tells readers, "Rolled in a rabbit hide, I am tucked snug in a cradle pack in the whipping cold of a new spring." Along with Jean Baptiste, readers will sail the Missouri River, portage waterfalls, traverse snow-covered mountain passes on horseback, glide in canoes through canyons embellished with rock paintings, gather roots in rain forests, build winter camp and explore whale bones on Pacific shore. As seasons pass and landscapes change, Jean Baptiste describes tall grizzlies, sparkling salmon, prowling cougars, romping elk, racing ermine, clambering goats, jumping deer and buzzing bees with childlike wonder. Richly hued, realistic, digitally rendered illustrations capture the pristine grandeur of the American west and its first inhabitants. The wee narrator, Jean Baptiste, appears on his mother's back or in her arms in every double-page spread with high plains, waterfalls, mountains, forests and ocean as backdrop until he runs free in the final scene.

Experience the wonder of Lewis and Clark's journey with the youngest expedition member. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011

Gr 1-3-On a cradleboard on his mother back, what would a baby boy be thinking as he travels across mountains, through forests, and down rivers in 1805? Napoli expertly gets into the mind of Sacagawea's son. The things that matter to him are grizzly bears, salmon, cougars, elk, and other animals; kind human hands holding him; and hearing a variety of languages. As he describes the sights, sounds, and smells of his incredible journey, he attaches a dreamlike quality to each recollection. His account seems to be fragments of memory stitched together with stories he has been told. The result is a beautiful, atmospheric narrative that explores the possibilities of that momentous expedition. Lewis and Clark are not mentioned by name in the text; his mother, Sacagawea, and his father are the important adults in the boy's eyes. Madsen's glowing illustrations, created digitally, employ rich jewel tones. The scenery and clothing have a crackled appearance that suggests an old painting, but each person's skin is vibrant and smooth, giving an impression of strength regardless of his or her circumstances. The boy grows bigger over the course of the book, implying the passage of time. Children will need nonfiction sources to gain context about Lewis and Clark, but this lyrical picture book will help them understand the journey on a human level.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.