The Golden Glow

“The golden glow is a plant from the Wellhidden family. It is very rare and only grows high in the mountains.” Fox, who’s interested in botany, sets out to find the golden glow. A tall, skinny fellow, Fox is rendered, like the other figures in French artist Flouw’s world, as a kind of collage of squared-off polygons, while rich, natural-looking colors—moss greens, magentas, and pale rose—give softness to the images. In order to find the golden glow, Fox must first find Marmot, and before he finds Marmot, he has to consult with Wolf. All the animals behave with admirable politeness, and Fox’s quest alternates with detailed spreads, in which Flouw presents the equipment Fox takes (tent, rain jacket, map, grape pâté sandwiches), the trees he sees (“the famous maple,” “the sturdy larch”), alpine flowers, and even levels of climatology (“montane zone,” “subalpine zone”). Morelli and Ouriou’s translation flows nicely, and the story’s mysterious golden glow flower (nonexistent in reality) serves as a McGuffin around which Flouw builds his striking introduction to botanical exploration. Ages 4–8. [em](May) [/em]