BEYOND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

In this Canadian import, a rhymed invocation to Raven accompanies stylized, crackle-finished batiks depicting faceless human figures (plus the occasional angel) in leggings and fringed overcoats dancing beneath stars or the Northern Lights with creatures of land and sea. Though the pictures don’t always match—a fire in one scene, for instance, is on flat ground, not in a “crackling fire pit”—they’re better than the text, which runs to verses like, “Raven, will you carry me into the northern skies, / Where days go on forever / And night lights up our lives.” Rich colors and mystical details, particularly in the several wordless spreads, give the art a metaphysical air that may draw susceptible viewers, but Blaikie’s writing won’t make a positive impression. (Picture book. 6-8)