Martin Finds a Way

In an unusual blending of the abstract and the concrete, Marshall and Polish illustrator Bukiert follow a shaggy-haired redhead named Martin as he traipses across an expansive mauve field before stumbling across something unusual: “He looked to see what it was and discovered it was a Way. He picked it up, tucked it under his arm, and went right on smiling and walking.” Bukiert pictures the “Way” as an unspooling path that swoops and curls across her atmospheric spreads, which combine finely detailed pencil illustrations of animals, birds, and the people Martin encounters with scratchy-textured backdrops and digitally collaged elements. As Martin travels, he helps those who have “lost [their] Way” and spends time with those who have a “different Way.” The overall vagueness of the book’s language and Martin’s realization that “Everyone just needs to find the Way that’s right for them” may not give much direction to readers trying to understand what their “way” might be, but they should still grasp the idea that there are a great many avenues and attitudes through which to approach life. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)