THE VOYAGE

The sea beckons a little girl toward daring deeds and hard-fought growth.

As a child, our narrator, who presents Black, looks out from a verdant home, away from her mother and father, across the sea, toward the horizon, and dreams of “secret islands, of hidden treasures.” She builds a humble but ambitious makeshift boat with the help of her parents and embarks on a trip into the unknown. Lush, swirling, expressionistic mixed-media illustrations make the sea as lively and inviting as it is terrifying and threatening, all in bright, dynamic hues. Likewise, the protagonist meets varied characters and obstacles—tempests and monsters, sailors in need of help, high-stakes dice games—on her way to growing into a sort of pirate of her own making. Upon meeting a blond-haired, pale-skinned young boy, the narrator encounters her greatest adventure yet: parenthood. The pair continue to grow—the young woman into old age and the boy into maturity—until it’s clear that the former’s journey has found its destination and the latter’s is only just beginning. Our narrator gives her adopted child the makeshift boat; he’s as enchanted as young readers will be by this charming, heartfelt tale, translated from French.

Adventure awaits, warmly delivered with striking images, magical colors, and inspiring courage.