Book Description
for Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol and Todd Stewart
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
A seasonal story that quietly yet thrillingly evokes nature’s wild winter beauty follows a girl and her younger brother, who venture out early one morning to skate on a remote frozen bay on Lake Superior. They begin the day in the blue light of dawn and the warm glow of the woodstove, eating oatmeal before bundling up and heading out. As they walk through the woods they observe the breath of the lake—sea smoke far from shore. “Beneath our boots snow creaks and crunches … we can trace the journey of fox and white-tailed deer, follow the trail of snowshoe hare, mink and otter …” Once they reach the shore, they put on their skates and glide, their blades “hissing and swishing” while the lake sings: “Her voice vibrates beneath our feet, distant thunder cracking and rumbling …” The “music” of nature is a repeated refrain throughout this lyrical narrative set against gorgeous digital and mixed-media art. (Ages 4-8)
CCBC Choices 2024. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.