Himalaya The wonders of the mountains that touch the sky

This attractive work opens with a map showing the world's mountain ranges, with an inset map showing the Himalayas and the range's significant peaks. Mariño discusses the mountains' formation, anthropomorphizing the Himalayas by describing their "massive effort to reach the stars." Descriptions of life in the Himalayan regions of India and in Nepal and Tibet are next, with Mariño addressing topics such as religions in the region; what various spots, such as Darjeeling, are known for; and topics related to humanity's development in the area, such as archaeological finds. Likely of most interest to young readers will be the profiles of Everest and Annapurna (which use terms like massif and steppe, defined in context but not in a glossary), the Sherpas essential to visiting climbers, and what it takes to conquer these peaks. Throughout, Beorlegi's double-page, jewel-toned illustrations show the stunning colors that characterize life in this region, from the brilliant blue sky to fluttering prayer flags. The lack of back matter makes this an additional purchase for geography collections.

A quick visit through the mountain range that features some of the world's highest peaks. Snowy peaks rear up in the backgrounds in Beorlegi's jewel-toned illustrations, but the visual focus is consistently at their feet--on towns, temples, dark-skinned residents in shimmering work or festival garb beneath strings of fluttering prayer flags, and flora and fauna in verdant landscapes. In the randomly ordered series of, mostly, locale-based spreads, the author offers terse descriptions of Durbar Square in Kathmandu and the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini, links Rishikesh along the upper Ganges to the practice of yoga, spotlights the snow leopard in a section on the Indian state of Arunchal Pradesh, and ultimately brings the tour to an abrupt end by rhapsodizing over Kailash, a mountain considered so sacred to several religious traditions that climbers are not allowed. The art's saturated colors are eye-catching, but along with producing an occasional line more overblown than lyrical ("In a monumental effort to reach the stars, these mountains became the highest…"), the author opaquely characterizes Nepal as a "gateway" between India and China. She also mistakenly claims that pagodas are largely associated with Hindu worship and devotes a spread to Tibetan ethnic groups without actually identifying any of them. (This book was reviewed digitally.) The artwork of this brief look at the Himalayas has a charm that the text struggles to reflect. (map) (Informational picture book. 8-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.