THE ISLAND

When the island calls, a child must obey.

Our young narrator is first seen climbing into a small sailboat. Although the child has no desire to visit the titular island, “the sky darkens, and the wind rises, and the current pulls me away.” Sarcone-Roach’s watercolors render the place a gloomy blue gray, all grasping branches and malevolent trees. On this day, however, the protagonist encounters a girl who suggests exploring rather than immediately fleeing the island. “Whatever you find here, whatever you feel here, know that you are never, ever alone,” she says. The child cries and experiences a range of emotions. After, color infuses the island, and the protagonist comes to a realization: “I know I’ll return to the island. And I think that’s all right,” because “the storm will pass. The sea will calm…and this boat will take me home.” Sterer’s reassuring text may well help some young readers learn to face difficult emotions head on, but he applies his allegories with an exceedingly heavy hand that will put many off. While eye-catching, Sarcone-Roach’s artwork reflects Sterer’s words without ever elevating the telling. Initially, both children have skin the color of the page; with the introduction of color, the protagonist appears tan-skinned.

Lush art, hampered by exceedingly explicit messaging.