Climb On!
by Baptiste Paul; illus. by Jacqueline Alcántara
Primary    NorthSouth    32 pp.  g
3/22    978-0-7358-4481-0    $18.95

It’s a beautiful morning, and even though Dad just wants to watch futbol, his full-of-energy daughter reminds him that he promised to go on a hike with her. “Annou ale! Off we go!” to the “tippy top” of their verdant Caribbean island. The adventurous duo encourages each other in Creole, and the accompanying English text makes for easy reading, as does its spacious, verse-like placement amid the lush full-bleed illustrations. The hike is more challenging than either one expected—“Mouté! Climb on!”—until finally, they make it to the top, from which they can see their whole town and the sea beyond. If only someone had brought a camera! Oh, well. “Chonjé. Remember.” Fans of the creators’ previous, futbol-centered collaboration, The Field (rev. 5/18), will cheer this very welcome addition, but this book also easily stands on its own. The endpapers encourage readers to go back through the book to find a variety of creatures hidden on the pages.

From the May/June 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.