Martin Finds a Way by T. H. Marshall 2016 Picture Book Award Winning Story

Martin Finds a Way by T. H. Marshall 2016

WINNER OF A TILLYWIG BRAIN CHILD AWARD! 

This is a story about finding a Way. Any Way. You can share the Way or you can show the Way, and there are many different Ways. Some Ways are better for some. Other Ways are better for others. The important thing is that you find the Way that is best for you. This is the idea shared in this beautiful new picture book of a young explorer's journey. Gorgeous illustrations leave the readers imagination plenty of room to find their own way through this uniquely narrated tale.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-A child traveler sets out on a philosophical journey. By happenstance, Martin stumbles upon a "Way" and picks it up and tucks it under his arm. He freely shares his newfound "Way" with a boy who is at a creative impasse and a girl who has lost hers. In Bukiert's surreal illustrations, the "Way" appears as a nonlinear path that twists and turns across the page. Martin discovers that there are many different Ways, and for some the "Way" is a fast-paced uphill race on steep concrete stairs. For others, there is "no Way," and the accompanying somber spread shows Martin and a red fox standing still at the edge of a cliff, staring into the wide expanse of the midnight blue sky. This book is packed with abstract concepts and metaphors, and at times the sentences are confusingly convoluted: "The more that Martin understood that there was not a better Way or a worse Way, the more he came to like the idea of finding the right Way for him." VERDICT This curious, contemplative picture book is more focused on raising thought-provoking questions than providing answers.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont.

Review

K-Gr 3A child traveler sets out on a philosophical journey. By happenstance, Martin stumbles upon a "Way" and picks it up and tucks it under his arm. He freely shares his newfound "Way" with a boy who is at a creative impasse and a girl who has lost hers. In Bukiert's surreal illustrations, the "Way" appears as a nonlinear path that twists and turns across the page. Martin discovers that there are many different Ways, and for some the "Way" is a fast-paced uphill race on steep concrete stairs. For others, there is "no Way," and the accompanying somber spread shows Martin and a red fox standing still at the edge of a cliff, staring into the wide expanse of the midnight blue sky. This curious, contemplative picture book is more focused on raising thought-provoking questions than providing answers. Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont. --School Library Journal

This extended play on words is likely to spark both discussion and rumination. --Kirkus Reviews

Readers... should grasp the idea that there are a great many avenues and attitudes through which to approach life. -- She finds inspiration for her illustrations from her young daughter, and hopes that her work will help children appreciate the gift of reading.