Yellow Kayak

October 15, 2017
A white child and a giraffe encounter danger and adventure in a small boat on the high seas. A small child and a giraffe set off in a "kayak" (although the illustrations show the boat as a plank-framed, double-ended craft rather than what readers may think of as a kayak) for an unspecified destination, but readers get the idea that it's meant to be merely a day trip. Then a sudden squall appears. The waves build, the paddle is lost, night descends, and the child and the giraffe snuggle together. Morning brings help in the arrival of sea creatures who return the paddle (and the child's lost hat), but another crisis seems imminent when huge whales surround the little boat; however, the whales turn out to be rescuers, gently prodding the boat toward shore. Author Laden's theme of calm courage, perseverance, and trust in the face of unforeseen difficulties is presented in an evocative, spare, rhyming format of four simple two-word lines per scene. Illustrator Castrillon's decorative, full-of-heart illustrations (done in pencil with digital colorization) are well-matched to the text: their stylized imagery, muted colors on off-white paper, and occasional deliberate off-registration give them an antique chromolithography look that enhances the tale's nostalgic, timeless feel. A gentle story of calm courage and of quiet, trusting perseverance that will comfort readers in their anxious times. (Picture book. 3-8)

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November 1, 2017

PreS-K-A child in a red-and-white striped shirt and a giraffe with red spots set off in a kayak. Their journey is presented in four-line verses that rhyme. The narration is generally third person ("Yellow kayak./Lightning streaks./Thunder roars./Sea wall leaks."), although Laden occasionally mixes voices midstream, presumably to preserve the iambic flow and brevity: "Rain stops./Be brave./Bail boat./Good save." The brave little sailor and his oarsman remain a calm comfort to one another. Their 48-hour adventure offers viewers a glimpse at a variety of swirling underwater life from salmon and squid to otters and octopuses. A second threat from a school of whales is quickly resolved. The compositions, rendered in pencil and digitally colored, are dominated by blue-greens and pinks with touches of other colors, particularly golden yellow. Castrillon has an apparent fondness for scrollwork, a predilection that lends many of her scenes a folk-art flavor, a sense of the decorative also seen in her first collaboration with Laden, If I Had a Little Dream. Some may find certain scenes overly ornamental, as on a page with mixed perspective in which the kayak and a seagull are viewed from above, while the clouds and a curtain of arabesques seem to be placed head-on. Those who prefer more active protagonists will need to look elsewhere. VERDICT The visual and aural rhythms of this circular voyage are probably best suited to sleepy snugglers.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 13, 2017
The team behind If I Had a Little Dream imagines a journey of ocean exploration as a boy and giraffe set off in a small wooden boat. Laden’s simple verse describes what they see as they push away from their island dock: “Fish jump./ Loons float./ Seals watch./ Little boat.” Castrillon’s sun-bleached pinks, aquas, and ochers recall faded lithographs; strands of kelp, twining octopus arms, and rolling water suggest the movement of currents and swells. Trouble threatens (“Yellow kayak./ Lightning streaks./ Thunder roars./ Sea wall leaks”), and the boy and giraffe teeter atop a breaking wave, closer to the sky than to the ocean. But the seas calm, and the next spread shows the boy emptying the boat of water as the sun sets, lighting the sky and waves a brilliant red: “Bail boat./ Good save.” They’re far from home, but help arrives from an unexpected source. Even with the excitement, Castrillon’s images convey an underlying tranquility that carries readers along with the explorers. It’s a voyage they’ll want to take again. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Pickled Ink.