Review by Booklist Review
One morning, a young girl reminds her father that they've planned a hike up the mountain. Soon they're off, with the child outpacing her dad in enthusiasm as well as energy. As they make their way upward, the path is sometimes easy but occasionally involves climbing boulders and ladders. Halfway up, they stop for a snack. The child gradually tires, while her dad's spirits rise. He encourages his daughter and eventually carries her on his shoulders. Creole words appear throughout the lively text, which begins with the father looking forward to "watching fútbol" and ends with him reluctant to leave the mountaintop, with its glorious views of the clouds, the sea, and the village far below. Set in Saint Lucia, Paul's childhood home, the story is based on an experience with his daughter. The colorful illustrations work well on many levels, from broad landscapes to details of plants and animals, from the faces and bodies that reveal the two characters' emotions to the sense of motion created as they walk, run, climb, slip, and (clasping vines) swing though the tropical forest. Paul and Alcántara, who previously wrote and illustrated The Field (2018), now lead viewers on a memorable excursion, captured in this vibrant picture book.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Mouté! Climb on!" A hike to the summit of a tropical peak has a father and child bonding through movement in this effervescent book by Paul and Alcántara. Filling backpacks with water, snacks, and a first aid kit, the book's brown-skinned protagonists follow a lush, animal-filled path that has them swinging past a waterfall, climbing a spindly ladder, and scaling rocks until, at last, they reach the top with its views of the town below. Paul's staccato prose fluidly mixes Creole and English for a rhythmic effect that emphasizes the exertion on display: "Fé vit. Hurry up!/ Step./ Breathe./ Sweat." Bursting with verdant foliage, Alcántara's exuberant illustrations capture the physicality of the story through varied perspectives. A final scene prompts readers to seek-and-find creatures that appear throughout, but even without this layer of directed interactivity, the creators' combined efforts create a father-child adventure that readily engages. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3--An adventurous girl has her sights set on climbing the summit of the mountain that is behind their family's home. Her father has his sights set on watching futbol on the couch all day. Promises had been made, so he reluctantly heads for the mountain with his daughter. She has already filled her backpack with their essentials: water, snacks, and a first aid kit. The hike is challenging, and the father is not enthusiastic at first. But his little girl's excitement and wonder at all she is seeing is contagious, and he becomes as observant and interested as she is. They ford a stream, swing on a vine, and climb on a ladder along the way. Ultimately, they reach the summit, and the view of the valley below makes all their climbing worthwhile. As they descend, they talk excitedly about everything they saw and did. Creole words pair up nicely with English ones, although there is no pronunciation guide. The art depicting the tropics is colorful and lush. VERDICT This is a lovely father-daughter story for the shelves, about an adventure that ends up surprising them both.--Joan Kindig, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
It's a beautiful morning, and even though Dad just wants to watch futbol, his full-of-energy daughter reminds him that he promised to go on a hike with her. "Annou ale! Off we go!" to the "tippy top" of their verdant Caribbean island. The adventurous duo encourages each other in Creole, and the accompanying English text makes for easy reading, as does its spacious, verse-like placement amid the lush full-bleed illustrations. The hike is more challenging than either one expected -- "Moute! Climb on!" -- until finally, they make it to the top, from which they can see their whole town and the sea beyond. If only someone had brought a camera! Oh, well. "Chonje. Remember." Fans of the creators' previous, futbol-centered collaboration, The Field (rev. 5/18), will cheer this very welcome addition, but this book also easily stands on its own. The endpapers encourage readers to go back through the book to find a variety of creatures hidden on the pages. Maija Meadows Hasegawa May/June 2022 p.127(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A girl and her father, both brown-skinned, hike to the "tippy top" of a mountain in Saint Lucia. "It's a great day for watching futbol," says Daddy, but his daughter wants to go hiking, and she's raring to go. Dad reminds her that they have to pack their knapsacks. Soon after, they're off! As they leave their seaside village, the girl shoots ahead eagerly while her father paces himself. Ascending the lushly forested slope, they admire tropical flora and fauna. Dad struggles and pauses to rest, but the spirited girl is undaunted; full of joyful abandon, she leaps over boulders, skirts the insects that attack Dad, and uses a vine to swing across a river, much to her father's dismay. There are mishaps (nothing too serious!), but the pair persist and "mouté! Climb on!" Paul's text is narrated with brio and exclamations aplenty. Short sentences create a sense of urgency that mirrors the girl's excitement and haste. Saint Lucian Creole words appear throughout and are glossed in-text, adding cultural authenticity; unfortunately, the words are othered with italicization. Alcántara's signature motion-packed art, rendered vibrantly in pencil, marker, and gouache with digital touches, lends itself well to a story centering physical activity. Varying visual perspectives allow readers to better feel the characters' emotions and appreciate the spectacular setting. A surprise seek-and-find challenge at the end can be enjoyed by a broad age range. A lovely--and needed--book about the rewards of persistence and Black people enjoying nature. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
