Written & Illustrated by: Pete Oswald

For ages: any

Language: English, but there are very few words in this book!

Topics Covered: POC-Centric Narratives, Outdoors, Gender Neutral Stories, Family, Traditions, Nature, Environmental Activism. 

Summary: 

Hike is a beautiful wordless adventure between father and child outdoors! This adorable story is one of genuine excitement at spending the day outdoors, and the child remains ungendered throughout the entire story (which we adore).  The pair traverse over logs, take photos, and admire birds.  I also love that the pair pictured aren’t white, it’s so rare we see books that focus on the outdoors with just characters of color! As the story continues, the read finds out exactly why the pair is making the hike.

The captivating illustrations by Pete Oswald convey emotion, movement, and reads like a comic book in places with several smaller vignette’s on some pages, giving context for the pair’s long and winding journey.  There is even a short note about the family tradition the two are fulfilling, and it is one that we would love to integrate into our own family as well.  It’s wonderful to have more stories about families that venerate nature and the outdoors, and are excited to spend time together.  Hike is released on 3/17, just in time to inspire spring adventures!

This book was kindly sent to us by Candlewick Press, but all opinions are our own.

About the Author & the Illustrator:

Pete Oswald is a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator and an Annie Award-nominated animation production designer best known for The Angry Birds Movie film franchise and Oscar® Nominated ParaNorman, in addition to multiple animated studio films. He is also known for his work as a children’s book author and illustrator, and painter. Pete’s work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Good Egg, and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Bad Seed, both written by Jory John.