Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Run Wild
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Penguin, 2018 ISBN: 978-0670014118
A little girl is running through the trees. Her bare feet pound on the earth as she runs by a boy’s window. He looks up from his tablet and it is as if he has been summoned outside; pulled out of the door by an invisible tether he is soon chasing after the girl in his bare feet.
Together the children race a wild rabbit. They jump in mud puddles, meet beetles, and talk to worms. Into the woods they go to “explore.” The girl hides behind a tree, and when the boy comes along she jumps out roaring like a beast.
On to the shore the boy goes, hopping across the hot sand and then, thankfully, he stands in the cool water, which soothes his hot toes. Then, after he takes a deep breath, he dives deep. Up he pops and there he floats, looking up at the sky. The waves rock the boy as he lies there daydreaming. What will he do next he wonders.
All too often children spend their summer days indoors, their eyes glued to a screen of some kind. In this delightful picture book the author shows readers the joys of running around and exploring outdoors. There is nothing quite like it, and the enjoyment that comes with such adventures is priceless.
