Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri

Today's read caught my attention thanks to the cover. Anyone else ready to grab a sword and shield, and head into adventure? This one is a picture book, which I was glad to see, since this high-fantasy usually starts first with slightly older readers. Now, there is a purpose to this read, and that kept my excitement a little more at bay. This book handles the loss of a parent and grief. I'm always very skeptical about these sorts of 'help' books and really, really, really hope it doesn't damper the tale.

So, pack those bags because we're going on a journey!

(Note: This was so well done that I'm adding it to my possible favorites of the year list)

DRAWN ONWARD

by Daniel Nayeri

Illustrated by Matt Rockefeller

HarperAlley

Picture Book

40 pages

ages 4 to 8

In this enthralling and emotional palindrome picture book by Daniel Nayeri and Matt Rockefeller, a young boy grieving the loss of his mother embarks on a lushly fantastical adventure that illuminates what remains when our loved ones are gone.

All alone

He was not so brave…

His heart needed to know

The answer.

This lyrical, heartfelt story a young boy who’s lost all hope braves the dark forest to ask, “Mom, were you glad you were mom?” Gorgeously illustrated, Drawn Onward gently guides readers through the depths of grief and provides comfort and hope to those who seek answers when it feels like all is lost.

GOODREADS    /     AMAZON    /     B&N

MY TIDBITS

These illustrations capture the imagination and lead on a fantastical journey to delight the adventurer and encourage the soul.

A boy feels lost after the death of his mother and wanders into the forest, deeper than he should go. From there a grabbing, graphic adventure begins, which draws into a world of wonder.

This book is an illustrative delight. There is some text but just enough to set the stage and add needed highlights here and there to guide the tale through. The rest is a visual quest, which takes the boy on a rich journey of discovery, surprises, tension, and growth. The details are imaginative and awaken fascination. While the main thread of the boy's journey is clear, there's quite a bit of room for each reader to notice different moments and take everything in on a more personal direction. In other words, each reader will have subtle differences in how they see the boy's journey. Even visiting these images time and again will lead to new discoveries and let dreams fly each time. It flows a bit like a graphic novel with smaller panels overlayed on the main one...like a picture book hugging the graphic novel form. This keeps the tension high the entire way through.

While this book does handle grief, it is subtle. The reader needs to read a little between the lines, but it's still clear what the boy's problem is. While the first scene gives a basic impression of the relationship and worries the boy and his father have, the rest bounds into discovery and danger, keeping uncertainty close. This changes more toward the end into amazement with new-found understanding.  The grief theme slides through as a very gentle side to the rich fantasy, drawing more meaning toward the end to wrap off with a final sense of hope.

These graphics are enjoyable for even adults to gaze through, and the meaning behind them carries enough depth to have this oldest age group thinking. I'm not sure the youngest end of the intended age group will catch much more than the basic message, since there is quite a bit of visual symbolism going on, but the older end of the intended reader level will be able to sink into the moment. It's masterfully woven and glides through the theme with wisdom and never a sense of preachy purpose.

And here they are...

Daniel Nayeri likes to read things backward even when it doesn't make sense to do so. He is the author of Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story), winner of the Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award. He loves letter-unit palindromes, like "toot" and "God's dog," and word-unit palindromes, like "Never say never" and "Fall leaves after leaves fall," and if he didn't say how much he likes and loves his wife and son, he wouldn't be Daniel Nayeri. 

Matt Rockefeller is a visual storyteller inspired by adventuring in the mountains, interpretive dancing with friends, and pondering the many wonders of the universe. In addition to drawing and writing comics, he creates artwork for TV and film animation. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family including a little dog that may or may not be a fox.