One Summer Up North

by John Owens

Overview

A wordless picture-book journey through the Boundary Waters, canoeing and camping with a family as they encounter the northwoods wilderness in all its spectacular beauty

It's a place of wordless wonder: the wilderness of the Boundary Waters on the Minnesota-Canada border. Travel its vast distances, canoe its streams and glacial lakes, take shelter from rain under a rocky outcropping (or in your tent), camp in its vaulting forests as stars embroider the darkening sky. Is this your first visit? Or is it already your favorite destination? 

Come along—join a family of three as their journey unfolds, picture by picture, marking the changing light as the day passes, the stillness before the gathering storm, the shining waters everywhere, rushing here, quietly pooling there, beckoning us ever onward into nature’s infinite wildness one summer up north.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781517909505
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	874,864
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 12.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 10 Years

About the Author

John Owens is a freelance illustrator who teaches at the University of Minnesota. This book, his first, was inspired by his travels north to paddle, portage, and camp in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/27/2020

A brown-skinned child initially seems dubious about a canoeing and backpacking trip to what an author’s note from debut author Owens clarifies is Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. On the adventure’s first leg, via a long canoe stacked with supplies, the figure sits a bit sullenly between two adults, one white and one brown-skinned. But nature is powerful magic, whether it takes the form of a curtain of gray rain, water dappled with reflections of fluffy clouds, or a belt of silvery stars stretching across a night sky. While too small to portage the canoe, the child begins to engage throughout the cozy spreads, taking up a paddle, delighting in the tent, picking wild blueberries, helping to fish for dinner, and waving at a moose who shares the water; the adults enjoy solitude and partnership, too. Debut author Owens uses no words in these pages, and readers won’t miss them—digitally colored pencil illustrations, with their impressionistic touches of color, texture, and shape, exude a plainspoken eloquence. He adeptly portrays both big geographic expanses and wholly intimate moments of an affectionate family free from everyday distractions. Ages 3–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"John Owens invites readers to accompany a family into a world of pine woods and clear water, hiking through misty mornings, camping beneath the bright blaze of the Milky Way. Evocative and memory-stirring, One Summer Up North is a journey well worth taking."—Eric Rohmann, Caldecott Medal-winning author of My Friend Rabbit

"It is appropriate that this is a wordless book - silent and picturesque much like the area the book is portraying. The illustrations encourage the reader to linger on each page a little and completely soak in what is being offered-creating a new story each time the book is opened."—Youth Services Book Review

"If you're looking for a book with pictures that evoke a calming, relaxing feel, this could be a great read for your family!"—Bawbee Books

"Children will be scrambling to dust off their tents and oars to create their own memories, too."—Foreword Reviews

"The wordless text evokes the peaceful quiet of being outdoors, culminating in a particularly beautiful spread of a starry sky. A trip worth taking."—Kirkus Reviews

"Debut author Owens uses no words in these pages, and readers won’t miss them—digitally colored pencil illustrations, with their impressionistic touches of color, texture, and shape, exude a plainspoken eloquence. He adeptly portrays both big geographic expanses and wholly intimate moments of an affectionate family free from everyday distractions."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"By the end of the thirty-page book, the child does not want to leave the experience. What a perfect set to give to a young one to whom all this is brand new."—The Ely Echo

"John Owens taps multiple themes and wonderful storytelling through his pictures. We follow the a family as they embark on a canoe adventure with its many dramatic ups and downs, but I wouldn’t reserve this for my ‘outdoorsy’ friends only, it has broad appeal. Some scenes will look familiar to anyone who has ever taken a kid, on any kind of trip, some scenes will strum the heartstrings of passionate paddlers, and the artwork could certainly inspire many families to head up north."—Wilderness News

"One Summer Up North lends itself to wonderful discussions with readers of all ages, such as identifying natural elements with preschoolers or appreciating environmental responsibility with older audiences."—Shelf Awareness

"Relaxing, calming, and charming."—Living Life Outside the Lines

"A beautifully illustrated wordless picture book that showcases the beauty of nature and clearly conveys the author’s love for the outdoors. Even the outdoor novice will be left longing to paddle and enjoy the beauty of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters."—TanjaBauerle.com

"No words are needed in this charming picture book—just the reader’s imagination."—Star Tribune

"The delightful images offer plenty to discover with younger children."—Lake Superior Magazine

From the Publisher

2020-07-14
A family wordlessly paddles, camps, and wanders their way through the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada.

A double-page spread depicts an interracial family in a station wagon, small in scale against the vastness of the surrounding forest. (One parent has brown skin and straight, black hair while the other parent presents White; the child has straight, black hair and light-brown skin.) A canoe sits atop the vehicle, a pop of red against the greenery. The page turn takes the passengers further down a dirt road. A sign declares the land the B.W.C.A Wilderness of the Superior National Forest. On the next page, the family of three—wearing life jackets and with hiking packs heaped around—is in the canoe, rowing past lily pads and into a lake. Their adventure continues as they portage their canoe and find a campsite before rain and night fall. For a few days, the family continues their excursion—tender moments aplenty—until finally changing course to go back the way they came. Though the outdoor setting and story will have wide appeal, Owens’ attention to detail adds a distinctly Minnesotan flair. In particular, the careful inclusion of local flora and fauna—such as blueberries, birch trees, bald eagles, and moose—suggests firsthand experience. The wordless text evokes the peaceful quiet of being outdoors, culminating in a particularly beautiful spread of a starry sky. The illustrations, rich with textured lines and a distinctive color palette, effectively capture the majestic scenery. Double-page spreads with landscape orientation heighten the sense of distance traveled.

A trip worth taking. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews