Take to the trails for a celebration of nature—and a day spent with dad.
In the cool and quiet early light of morning, a father and child wake up. Today they're going on a hike. Follow the duo into the mountains as they witness the magic of the wilderness, overcome challenges, and play a small role in the survival of the forest. By the time they return home, they feel alive—and closer than ever—as they document their hike and take their place in family history. In detail-rich panels and textured panoramas, Pete Oswald perfectly paces this nearly wordless adventure, allowing readers to pause for subtle wonders and marvel at the views. A touching tribute to the bond between father and child, with resonant themes for Earth Day, Hike is a breath of fresh air.
Pete Oswald is a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator and an Annie Award-nominated animation production designer best known for The Angry Birds Movie film franchise and Oscar® Nominated ParaNorman, in addition to multiple animated studio films. He is also known for his work as a children's book author and illustrator, and painter. Pete's work includes the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Good Egg, the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Bad Seed, and the #2 New York Times bestselling picture book, The Smart Cookie, all written by Jory John.
As a character designer and concept artist, Pete has helped to uplift many of the most successful animated franchises. Among other projects, Pete has worked on Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball 1 & 2; and Hotel Transylvania; and Oscar® Nominated ParaNorman, for which he earned an Annie Award nomination. Pete also earned two additional Annie Award nominations for shorts that he directed and designed: The Story of Walls and Doubtsourcing.
Pete’s author debut, Hike, was shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. It published early 2020 from Candlewick Press. The Attack of the Underwear Dragon and The Return of the Underwear Dragon, written by Scott Rothman and illustrated by Pete, are both indie-bestsellers. The Food Group Series published by HarperCollins, includes The Bad Seed (2017), The Good Egg (2019), The Cool Bean (2019), The Couch Potato (2020), The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape! (2020), The Smart Cookie (2021), The Bad Egg Presents: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky (2021), and The Sour Grape (2022) written by Jory John and illustrated by Pete. All five released books have been on The New York Times Bestseller List for children's picture books.
Passionate about painting, Pete is also active in the fine arts space. He recently debuted a collection of paintings inspired by the California Coast, in the pop-up art gallery show, “Pacific Abstract.” The show, hosted at Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station, captures his observations in an impressionistic, yet graphic style. The series celebrates Pete’s affinity for his favorite coastline, inspired by his personal experiences since moving to Los Angeles from his native Utah to attend Loyola Marymount University. Pete previously has shown his work at WWA Gallery in Culver City.
Pete lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and three sons.
A father (no mother visible in the illustrations) takes his child (not gender-specific) on a hike in the mountains.
This is one to look at again and again to find all the little details. This would be a good one to explore how the illustrator created mood/tension in different ways, including how the POV of the illustrations changes to create mood/tension.
Being an outdoor lover, I just adore that the family depicted isn’t white. The whiteness of the outdoor culture is very irksome to me. Gorgeous illustrations, charming depictions, a sentimental story between father and son. It checks all the boxes. This is wordless and that will bother some. I loved it.
Wow! This is (nearly) wordless picture book beautiful and touching on so many levels. On the surface, it's an exuberant story of a father and child on a hike. There is so much excitement and joy. The details are absolutely wonderful -- so much to notice on the first read, then even more to appreciate the second time through. (Also, might I say, one of the cutest orange tabby cats I've seen in picture books in quite some time, and I do love orange tabby cats!) Love the parent-child bonding, exploring and appreciating nature. The final illustration of the father and child looking at the family photo album is so touching.
I was confused about one point as I was under the impression that individuals are not allowed to plant trees in national or state parks though this book seems to show the father and child doing that. (I suppose it is possible the child and his/her father are hiking on private land, but it appears quite extensive to be private.) I looked online and found that there are ways to plant memorial trees or celebration trees in certain parks, but I believe that the individual simply makes a monetary donation and then Arbor Day Foundation etc. do the actual planting or that there may be a select few tree planting events. The duo in this book appears to be very respectful of nature (the child has even read a book about how to plant trees) but I think a brief note at the end of the book would be helpful to explain that we shouldn't just walk into a wild space and plant a tree and what agencies to contact for help . (I could see this book inspiring many well-intentioned young readers to plant a tree but I think it would be potentially problematic and disruptive to the natural environment if individuals just plant trees in national/state parks at will.) I'm hoping someone knowledgeable about this will post a comment. I don't see anyone else mentioning this in their reviews so maybe I'm just way off base so my five star rating is assuming there ARE instances when individuals have permission to plant trees in parks and that the parent and child in this book are observing the rules as they do seem very conscientious nature-lovers :-)
ETA: My friend Abigail's review alerted me to the fact that there is brief note on the colophon, tucked away at the end of the book, does mention that planting trees in national forests is generally forbidden. I find it frustrating this was not made more obvious to readers who, like myself, are left feeling confused or misinformed about these matters, and I am dropping my rating to four stars.
A boy and his father head out to the forest for a hike in this mostly wordless picture-book from author/illustrator Pete Oswald. Their outdoor adventure takes them past an unexpected snowfield, across a log bridge, by a waterfall, and up a mountain. Eventually they reach their goal: the spot where they will plant a tree, together...
I have encountered Oswald's artwork before, in Jory John's The Bad Seed and its sequels, but Hike is the the first of his own books that I have read. I found it engaging, although perhaps not as emotionally resonant as the friend who recommended it to me. The digital artwork is lovely - more than enough to carry the story here - and the reader will enjoy following along as this loving father-son duo head out into the wonder of nature. For my own part, I appreciated some of the little visual details in the artwork - the creatures the pair encounter or pass, such as a fox, or some bunnies - and thought it was interesting that the father and son here look to be African-American. Studies have shown that far fewer members of the African-American community take advantage of our national and state parks, than the park services would like, and I found myself wondering, as I perused this book, whether childhood narratives such as this might help to make a positive change to this situation, by encouraging young people to see the outdoors as a desirable destination.
In any case, all in all I found this an entertaining, heartwarming book, and I enjoyed both the depiction of the outdoors, and the loving bond between father and son. I did find it a little funny that the ultimate end goal of this hike - planting a tree - is something that is generally forbidden in national parks and forests (something mentioned in a brief note on the colophon, at the end of the book), but with the caveat that adults be aware of this, and point it out to children during their reading, I would recommend this one to picture-book audiences who enjoy (mostly) wordless narratives, or stories about outdoor adventures.
This is such a beautiful book! This wordless tale shows a father and son going on an all-day hike together to plant a tree on a mountain. It celebrates the beauty of nature and the importance of getting out in it. Any families that love to get out together and hike absolutely need this book!
This nearly wordless picture book is just adorable! It’s the story of a father and child who wake up at their home and head out to nature for a hike in the woods. Along the way they climb, have a snowball fight, plant a tree, and take many photographs. They eventually return home for milk and cookies. The very back page shows the photo album has photos from four different generations going on a similar hike. Absolutely LOVELY book to share with young readers! The illustrations were created digitally.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
This what I would call a "quiet" wordless book. I am not much of an outdoorsy person by nature (haha, get it?) but the story is so beautiful and sweet, it makes me want to take my kids on a hike!!
Richie’s Picks: HIKE by Pete Oswald, Candlewick, March 2020, 40p., ISBN: 978-1-5362-0157-4
“We must begin thinking like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations.” -- David Brower, founder of Friends of the Earth
“I love to go a-wandering Along the mountain track And as I go, I love to sing My knapsack on my back Val-deri, val-dera Val-dera, val-der- ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha Val-deri, val-dera My knapsack on my back” -- English lyrics by Antonia Ridge (1955)
I love to don my hiking boots and wander down a road or up a trail. I owe my lifelong love of walking and hiking to the Boy Scouts of America.
Sometimes it was a challenging hike with full packs, heading to a weekend camporee with multiple troops. A favorite destination was Macedonia Brook State Park in Connecticut. Sometimes it was just our patrol on an icy five miler, hiking from our neighborhood over to Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown. (That route always included a detour on Veterans Highway for hot chocolate and doughnuts.)
Here in San Francisco, we are currently in a coronavirus lockdown. To avoid going stir-crazy, I’ve been sneaking out, weather permitting, to do a few social-distanced miles on the hilly streets each afternoon.
Pete Oswald’s HIKE is a stunning, nearly-wordless, picture book hiking adventure. Told through captivating digital illustrations, it features an untraditional family--a father and his gender-neutral child. They have planned carefully, so they are able to jump up at the crack of dawn, load the car, and head out of town and into the mountains.
Once there, the child engages in many of the skills I learned back in the day: reading maps; climbing mountains; observing wildlife; journaling animal tracks; photographing beautiful vistas; throwing snowballs; and skimming rocks on the lake.
As a pileated woodpecker bores for insects nearby, the father and child successfully traverse a tricky log crossing just downstream of a glorious, thundering waterfall. They take a snack break.
Finally, they reach their ultimate destination: a mountaintop of evergreens. They remove a small shovel and a baby evergreen from the child’s backpack; carefully plant it; and then manage an old-fashioned selfie, using a camera with a timer.
The pair exudes joy and satisfaction as they hike back to the car; drive home; and recall their exploits over milk and cookies.
Pete Oswald has me thinking about some of the places I might get to go hiking, once the world is back to normal.
For the sake of the planet, and its ever present need for a new generation of stewardship; I hope that this beautiful HIKE finds a wide and enthusiastic audience.
All the heart eyes for this wordless picture book about a child and their father venturing into nature to take part in a special family tradition. In honor of Earth Day, do yourself a favor and find this beautiful book to celebrate the quiet joys of time in the woods. Full spread illustrations are drop-jaw gorgeous in this new stunner.
A wordless story (excepting onomatopoeia) about a father and a son taking an uneventful hike in nature, though small print at the end tells me it may have involved an illegal act. It was pretty dull until I started to include swear words in my narration of events. So I suppose it could be as much fun as you want to make it.
Wonderful wordless picture book in which a child and their grownup go on a hiking trip to plant a tree atop a mountain, carrying on a family tradition. Love the illustrations.
Cute picture book with no words about a dad and son getting up early and going on a hike together. They do lots of adventuring on their hike and at the end, before turning back around, they plant a tree together. Great book for exploring the value in nature and in spending time with loved ones, making memories.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- I don’t really know if this is a book as it’s just pictures and no words but I LOVED IT! Despite the lack of words the pictures really told an adorable story I loved!
Loved this book. Follows a kid and his father on a day hike. Illustrations are awesome and very detailed which provided a lot of conversation points with my kid about what they were doing and why. It also gave her an opportunity to make up her own version of their adventure.
This wordless picture book adventure of a father and child (gender open; could easily be read as a boy or girl or nonconforming) is just marvelous and smile-making, and just reading it probably produces many of the same health benefits of going on a hike yourself. There is so much to like about this charming book, but the final page turn - to the copyright page - may be the best because it gives you a look at the family photo album, which opens up so many more stories!
A (largely) wordless picture book about a single parent taking their kid hiking and engaging in different outdoors activities along the way.
This would be a great choice for a lesson about observation and prediction. Could be paired well with other environmentally themed stories (both fiction and nonfiction) and/or an experienced based lesson that involves hiking and other outdoor activities.
Love the supportive nature of the parent toward the kid and the representation of characters of color enjoying the outdoors (especially as the recreational outdoors industry and many associated outdoors spaces have traditionally been exclusive, white-centric, and racist).
The art is absolutely gorgeous! The sensory details are there (easy to imagine sounds, smells, and textures as you read). And the book also shows the characters safely and responsibly enjoying the outdoors and giving back to the environment they're enjoying.
And I'm sure there are a million other places and spaces to showcase this great book! Highly recommend.
This beautifully illustrated wordless picture book highlights the joy that can be found in spending time with family and nature. A father wakes his son one morning and they pack up and head out of the city for the day. As they make their way up the trail, they stop to enjoy the beauty around them including the wildlife and the snow. The father helps his son cross a log bridge and admire a waterfall, they stop to have a snack, and climb a boulder. Ultimately, at the end of the trail, they plant a tree seedling before making their way back down. Words aren't needed in this homage to the power of taking time to enjoy the natural world. On top of that is the importance of the father/son bond exhibited as the father and son spend the day together, helping each other as needed. A gorgeous book perfect for sharing on Earth Day or any other day, that inspires one with an appreciation for the earth and it's natural wonders.
Though lacking in a significant plot, this beautifully illustrated wordless father-son story celebrates the joy of hiking and enjoying the great outdoors, a perfect topic for a summer when many other activities are still banned.
Sweet mercy, this was a treasure. The forest illustrations! The heart-warming relationship between the father and son character! The wordless style! The details captured of a hiking day-trip! Essentially I just feel like I went on a refreshing hike with this family. What a treat!
In this lavishly illustrated wordless picture book, a father and his child (could be a girl, could be a boy) get up early one morning, climb into their car, head out of the city where they live and head for a a day of hiking through a nearby forest. The forest is a busy place, filled with creatures and critters, birds and insects. The child has come prepared, bringing along a compass, binoculars, a magnifying glass, a camera, and book for identifying tracks, some trail mix, and even helmets for climbing high places, all meant to see and enjoy nature without disturbing it. Together, father and child spot deer, eagles, bear tracks and more. When the pair come to a river near a waterfall, it takes some encouragement on dad's part to convince his child to walk across the water on a fallen log and lots of happy hugs when the child makes it across. But the real purpose of their trip, besides a wonderful day spent together, is planting a tree seedling that perhaps the child had started and nourished from a pinecone, a nice example on giving back to nature instead of taking from it. Back home, readers will discover, this father and child outing was more than just a perfect day of enjoying each other and nature, it was actually a family tradition, as the photos in the family album show. There are so many things to love about this book. First, the relationship between parent and child is so loving and respectful. And I love the way is connects them to their past. The illustrations are done in a forest palette of greens and browns, and the blue sky is like a breath of fresh air. Plus, there are lots of different creatures for young readers to find and name on almost every page. I said it was wordless, but that's not exactly true - you will find some sound word throughout, adding to the nuance of the story. I was lucky enough to be able to briefly share this book with my young readers and I am excited to do it again when we are back together. We talked about collecting pinecones in the park and beginning our own seedlings to replant, and making a leaf book in the fall. I suspect this is a book we will go back to again and again.
Take to the trails for a celebration of nature — and a day spent with dad.
In the cool and quiet early light of morning, a father and child wake up. Today they’re going on a hike. Follow the duo into the mountains as they witness the magic of the wilderness, overcome challenges, and play a small role in the survival of the forest. By the time they return home, they feel alive — and closer than ever — as they document their hike and take their place in family history. In detail-rich panels and textured panoramas, Pete Oswald perfectly paces this nearly wordless adventure, allowing readers to pause for subtle wonders and marvel at the views. A touching tribute to the bond between father and child, with resonant themes for Earth Day, Hike is a breath of fresh air.
Out March 2020
40 Pages
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is an interesting book. It’s a large book, but narrow, with no words. You join a father and son on a journey into nature taking on challenges, bonding and enjoying their surroundings. As you experience these things with them, the illustrations allow the reader to glimpse into life in places not normally ventured. When they return, they place all the photos taken of their journey into a photo album to be enjoyed over and over again. You can see their bond is even stronger at the end of the book than what it was in the beginning.
It’s beautifully illustrated and its message is heart-warming and enjoyable to see unfold right before your eyes. Younger readers will love sitting with a sibling or parent sharing the book and using the illustrations to prompt conversations.
I can't go hiking in our Rocky Mountains now because the slopes are still snow-covered. But, Pete Oswald takes us all along with this father and son on this special hike, up early and driving, big excitement to get there, and finally, they begin. Pete delights with so many details in the colorful illustrations of his wordless tale. There is a backpack that one must click straps tight in the front, binoculars that let one see deer on a faraway slope, an animal track ID book, and one should never forget a camera! Rabbits, Rabbits, birds, flowers, and bees are all around on this long hike in and out of the forest. A bit of fright, then courage happens as they stride over a log bridge with a gorgeous waterfall in the background. They do have a purpose when they, at last, the two reach the top (you'll have to read to discover it), and a surprise in the author's note at the back. I imagine taking this virtual hike with a child, wondering if one could do it, too, or using it to remind of one's own hike to a special mountaintop. One fun addition is the family's marmalade cat at home at the beginning and at the end. It's a wonderful book! Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!