Book Review: Journey by Aaron Becker
Journey
by Aaron Becker
Wordless Picture Book
Lexile: NP (Non-Prose)
Published August 2013 | Candlewick Press
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A Neverending Book Review
Spread by author-illustrator Aaron Becker from his wordless picture book, Journey
My first time reading this book was with my third grade students. The awe they shared as they flipped through each spread was one thing; the excitement each student had when I challenged them to pull out the story was another.
Journey is said to be about a lonely girl who draws a door and escapes into a world of wonder, adventure, and danger… But my students saw a creative girl. A helpful girl. A daring girl. The character developed into an almost three-dimensional (and certainly familiar) human being.
My fifth time reading this book was with my grown up sisters. The awe they shared as they flipped through each spread was one thing; the pleasure each over thirty-year old received when we talked about the author-illustrator’s storytelling techniques and the ways in which this young girl’s journey could teach us more about Biblical bravery, faith, and obedience was truly another.
Journey is said to be about a lonely girl, but something we’re exploring in our March Picture Book Club this week is that loneliness is a real torment we experience, though it is a total lie. I particularly love the muted spreads depicting this girl’s home life. How even when surrounded by noise and pets and people, we can still find ourselves living almost colorless lives. But there is always a friend or someone who loves you, near at hand!
My sisters saw this immediately and though they weren’t as great as my third graders at the storytelling, they were eager to share what they saw happening in the story.
“She’s sad,” one said.
“She wants to play,” said the other.
“Y’all are cute,” I wanted to say. But they were right. And their observations only grew more and more insightful the more we talked.
I think we talked about the colors, the paneling, the details, the themes, and the possibilities of this story for an hour before I realized this was truly a neverending story. Young and old can come back again and again, finding something new in the illustrations, in their interpretations, or in sharing it with someone else for the first time and hearing that person’s perspective.
Our hope is that our Learners who read this story for the first time enjoy Becker’s brilliance as much as we did, but come back for a reread or two. In fact, this book is part of a trilogy, and on March 14th, Becker’s latest book, The Tree and the River, will be available at bookstores near you!
“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”