The Impossible Mountain

PreS-Gr 2--Mountains call to us with their grandeur, their difficulty, their inscrutability. They beckon us onward and upward. Anna is a young girl with purple hair who has grown up with her little brother Finn in a walled city. She has been told that the huge, stone wall protects everyone, but when she finally looks over the wall, she is completely unprepared for the dramatic, snow-capped mountain that she sees thrusting upward. At that moment, she knows she'll leave the safety of the village to climb the mountain and that she'll bring along Finn. As the two young children set off, the entire village urgently reminds them that they are being foolish. Undeterred, they leave. Fabulous spreads depict the great and terrifying beauties of nature that the children encounter, from the raging waterfall to the den of a gigantic bear. By taking obstacles one at a time and by supporting each other, they reach the summit. As they stand atop their known world, they realize how small their village is, but they also realize that the world is full of mountains "waiting to be climbed." VERDICT Soman crafts a beautiful story, wrapping it in a satisfying adventure that teaches readers to look beyond their safe and familiar world, to believe in themselves, to keep struggling, and to bring a good friend along any impossible journey.--Sally James, South Hillsborough Elem. Sch., CA

Classically drafted, light-filled spreads follow a pair of child heroes through this mountainfaring adventure by Soman (the Ladybug Girl series). It opens in a European-style walled village with a huddle of red-tiled roofs, where Anna and little brother Finn, both white, spy a mountain beyond the village walls. It's so big that it dwarfs them, the village, and the surrounding countryside. Knowing that she has to climb it, Anna persuades small Finn to come with her, resisting the warnings of neighbors. "Climbing the Mountain is impossible!" says the blacksmith. "You'll never get past the River!" "I can," says Anna. And she does. She and Finn ford the river, find a path across a sheer rock face, and spend the night in a cave with an unexpected companion, at every turn finding resources and resolve. It's a story about setting a goal and pursuing it in a saga refreshingly free of evildoers. And there's nothing juvenile or cute about Soman's colored pencil, gouache, and watercolor portraits of thundering cataracts and monumental cliffs, which confer dignity and importance on Anna and Finn's journey. Ages 3-6. Agent: Douglas Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Nov.)