Into the Wilderness

“Every summer, we go into the wilderness,” begins this luminous picture book about a child whose family backpacking trips become both physical milestones and emotional anchors. Vignettes show the youth as a baby riding in a carrier, then walking ever more confidently, carrying increasing amounts of gear, and finally tackling navigation. But as the child at last climbs a rock solo, parents nearby, these epic adventures become part of a different kind of journey. Alone, the narrator contemplates the “left out feelings” awaiting them at school and wonders why everyday life can’t feel more like time in the outdoors: “In the wilderness, I never feel uninvited,” Iverson (Slow Down, Tumbleweed!) writes in musing text. Debut illustrator Zhang’s digital paintings amplify this yearning while offering hope as cinematic wide-angle views depicted in glowing colors make the outdoors feel like a place where anything is possible. And it’s clear that some of that outside magic clings to the child like trail dust—after returning home, “Sometimes I pull out the strength or the wonder. Sometimes the quiet” of the trips, as the landscapes that hold a young heart become part of how they hold themself. The family presents as East Asian. An author’s note and contextualizing back matter conclude. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Rachel Orr, Prospect Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, Andrea Brown Literary. (Mar.)