Are We There Yet?
by Sven Völker; illus. by the author
Primary    Cicada    32 pp.
7/23    9781800660373    $16.99

As Bear wakes from his “long, long sleep,” he receives an invitation from Butterfly to join her on a journey. Where to? “All journeys have a secret destination…The journey itself is the reward,” responds Butterfly enigmatically. Bear and Butterfly continue their adventure through rain, a dense forest, and quite a treacherous mountain. Once again, Bear asks for a little clarification—“Are we nearly there yet?”—and receives another (seemingly unhelpful) nugget of wisdom from his companion: “Never measure the height of the mountain until you reach the top.” The long and winding trip becomes more wondrous, and even more arduous, the farther they go. A broad night sky and a glowing moon remind big Bear of his smallness, and a wide, roaring river he must cross challenges his bravery. As winter is setting in again, Bear and Butterfly finally reach their destination…or, as Butterfly says: “The end of one journey is the beginning of another.” Völker’s skill as a graphic designer shines through these sleek, minimalist illustrations: mountains and trees appear as striking sequences of triangles, and the changing of seasons is implied by a shift from red and orange dots to white stars sprinkled across the page. Bear’s eyes communicate every ounce of his curiosity, fear, hope, and exhaustion along the way.

From the September/October 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.