Friday, January 31, 2020

Book Review: On the Mountain

On My Mountain by François Aubineau

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a really cool children's book. It reads one way from one POV and then you flip it over and it reads the same story from a different POV. So very clever! This allows children to understand that there are always two sides to the story. In this case we have the point of view of a wolf and their children, compared to a human and their children.

If you were to take the two stories and lay them side-by-side you'd see that each panel/spread is the same comment (or similar) and that each believes they have a stake in the food, wildlife, beauty, etc. of the area. Additionally we learn that both are afraid of the other and caution their children against interaction out of fear. And while wolves and humans don't tend to mix; this is an excellent showcasing that sometimes we're just afraid of the unknown and not necessarily because someone poses a threat to the other.

Translated from French, illustrated and written by a French Canadian. I'm very proud to say this story was made by a fellow Canadian. The illustrations are simple bit beautiful and I love that the use of the traditional sketch medium alongside the digital colour overlays used. It's the perfect harmony; and feels appropriate give the topic of the book. The moral is that we should always find a way to live side-by-side and not have fear; but instead respect. A wonderful little story that is perfect for bedtime.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the author via BookSprout. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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1 comment:

Leonore Winterer said...

What a clever idea to tell a story like this :)