Children's Book Week: When We Go Walking by Cari Best

Hi guys!

Welcome back to the place that's celebrating Children's Book Week along with EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU the entire week through, Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

That's right!  It's a week long celebration that started with a skip, jump and a HOP yesterday (feel free to check out the post and enter to win some FAB prizes, if I do say so myself ^_^) and will continue on its merry way with today's post of bookish wonder.  It's a new release that landed as a surprise on my doorstep but it held its own bit of wonder that I simply had to share with all of you...and being a picture book, what better time than now?  Without further adieu, today's book of choice is....

When We Go Walking

by

Cari Best

Illustrated by

Kyrsten Brooker

Take a walk down Rambling Road with this family of four plus one furry friend and see just what will be discovered today.  From a ball to a shovel, a bent spoon to a faded flag, one just never knows what treasure will be uncovered next!  But wait.  What on earth could Wendy want with all these discarded odds and ends?  I mean, I know "one man's trash is another man's treasure" but surely there is a line to be drawn in such cases by parents when one is still so small (don't need to end up on the Buried Alive show or anything). 

Curious?  No worries, my friend.  Wendy's got it all under control.  In fact, it's not simply the usability of the item that captures her attention when she adds yet another something or other to her collection, but the memory of the day, the moment in which it was discovered....and trust me, they all add up to a wonderful finish the whole family (both hers AND yours) will enjoy.  Way to go Wendy!  ^_^

The story itself is simple and reveals in its own simplicity by expanding your ramble on Rambling Road. With a veiled message of conservation and recycling to start little ones off on the road to help one and all preserve Mother Earth, as well as unique images that will make you back for a second look, this book has something for little ones as well as those beyond the target audience.  As for me, I really enjoyed exploring the illustrations.  Each scene is a combination of drawn and painted figures or items along with real life stills and textures that look cut and pasted on the page.  Just take a look here at this interior spread.  

See the cat?  Now, look at the flowers.  Notice anything?  How about a glance over at the trees...and now go back to Wendy's dress.  See what I mean?  It adds a new dimension to things, makes it almost tangible and gives readers something else to discover as they ramble along with the family on their own version of the family walk.

In the end, a great book for the little ones but with a message for us all.  Take your own walk down Rambling Lane...and then perhaps you and yours can enjoy a walk in your neighborhood, capturing the moments and memories right before your eyes.  Review copy received courtesy of Deborah Bass at Amazon Children's Publishing.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their full catalog, be sure to stop by their official site.  This title celebrated its book birthday April 23, 2013 via Two Lions.

Until next time...happy reading!