Are We There Yet?

Working in a striking poster style, Völker (A Million Dots) sends a bear on a long journey, invited by a butterfly with an unknown destination: “The journey itself is the reward,” she intones. The bear, a hulking black form with expressive eyes, asks many questions (“Are you sure we’re walking in the right direction?”), to which the butterfly, whose delicate wings glow with faint blue-green light, gives riddle-like answers (“Sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself”). Her insight and encouragement inspire undreamed-of feats of strength from the bear, including crossing a raging river. Shape-based landscapes and stippled textures make up graphical images, while text provides sensory detail (“The forest floor felt cool and wet beneath his great paws”) and dialogue supplies humor and warmth. When the two reach a mountain’s summit and Bear enjoys the view, Butterfly asks, “Would you like this to be our destination?” He replies, “I suppose we could go a bit further.” It’s not the goal that matters but what one experiences along the way, suggests this wisdom-oriented tale that ends with another aphorism: “The end of one journey is the beginning of another.” Ages 3–7. (July)