A boy struggling after the lack of his mom goes on a fantasy journey and finds peace in her reminiscence.

*Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri. Harper Alley, 2024. 32 pages.

  • Studying Degree: Image e-book, ages 8-12
  • Really useful For: Ages 8-12
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“She was gone.”

So begins this story of a boy making an attempt to course of his grief via a fantasy journey, braving risks with the intention to attain a spot that honors her reminiscence so he can ask one burning query:

“Mother, have been you glad you have been Mother?”

There he finds peace to return dwelling, passing via the identical locations that have been so threatening earlier than, however now with therapeutic energy that restores concord.

The fantasy is carried via illustrations that are filled with element, encouraging additional examination. Is the boy solely going to the woods to assemble stew elements? How does he survive the risks? Does the sword he pulls from the backyard as he runs away mark his mom’s grave? (Observe the transformation of the hilt.)

Readers might not discover the primary time via that the sentences and phrases of the story are a particular sort of wordplay woven from starting to finish. The title, handwritten sound results, and the central query are a touch, however it could take an additional studying or two to understand the delicate complexity of such an apparently easy textual content. Learn it till you get it.

Nayeri loves experimenting with story types, and that is actually distinctive.

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