There is a Tribe of Kids

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 

“A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong.”

— BRENÉ BROWN

 We all belong somewhere. Whether you define it by economics, social class, qualifications, sexuality, or political affiliations, we can align ourselves with a tribe.

(Even if it is a tribe of social misfits.)

But finding our tribe(s) is a journey - a search for belonging and acceptance. 

Which is precisely what Lane Smith’s award-winning There Was a Tribe of Kids (Roaring Book Press 2016) is about. And the twist? It centres around collective nouns.

I love collective nouns, too, and had a lot of fun playing around with them for my online comic strip, Chalk & Cheese.

 

Collective Confusion from Chalk & Cheese Comics | © 2012 by Tim Warnes

 

For There is a Tribe of Kids, Smith began by compiling lists of animal groups. But the concept alone wasn’t enough. “[I] didn’t want it to be only an album of illustrations,” he explains. “I wanted a story. So after much noodling and toiling, a narrative began to take shape” - and the idea of a journey began to form. 

 

“A herd of goats is called a tribe, and infant goats are called kids. So I thought, what if there was a lost boy - a kid - and he was trying to get back to his family, his tribe?” 

- Lane Smith

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 

The wonderful, natural world that surrounds this lost boy teems with life - but he is devoid of human company. Which begs the questions:

Where does he come from?

Where are his parents (or siblings)?

And although the text never describes the boy as lonely, Smith’s art speaks volumes.

 

“He wants so badly to belong,” explained Smith in an interview with Shelftalker. “And who wouldn’t want to take him in? You can tell he’s a loving kid. He keeps hugging everyone he meets.”

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 

Unfortunately, as soon as the kid befriends a new creature, they move on - leaving him isolated (and lonely) once more.

Smith describes himself as a visual person, which explains why he’s so good at visual storytelling! He demonstrates this skill using many multi-panel sequences, which rely entirely on the illustrations alone to tell the story. (The story consists entirely of the phrase, ‘There is a ...’ (Fill in the blank with a collective noun.))

 

 ‘These wordless frames are the heart of this lovely picture book, and they often express the joy of interaction between the boy and his new animal friends, followed by a quiet sense of loneliness when they part ways.’

 

That combination of joy and loneliness, noted one NYT reviewer, ‘[e]xudes a Chaplinesque charm, skillfully blending slapstick and melancholy.’

 

Let me give you an example. 

After being deserted by the turtles (who turn off the path while the boy naps), we see the boy walking alone through the rain. (Interestingly, in light of the Chaplin reference, with a cane-like stick). He shelters under an apple tree, and after eating, sits with his back to the tree. All this is told through a series of wordless panels.

As the boy rests, a tiny caterpillar crawls up his leg - followed by an entire army. The boy has fun mimicking the caterpillars’ contortions, shown in eighteen stamp size panels. Then he hangs upside down with a big smile on his face alongside his caterpillar friends (who have become chrysalids).

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 

But all too soon that bitter-sweet moment comes: the butterflies hatch and fly away. 

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 

There is a Tribe of Kids is full of little moments like this.

 

You may be thinking: Looking at pictures is not reading! But visual literacy (the ability to decode images and symbols) is a crucial life skill. It’s not just about learning the potentially fatal repercussions of drinking from a bottle marked with a skull and crossbones. It extends into the ability to interpret the multitude of signs and symbols thrown at us by our environment, including the media.

I’d also argue that it makes for a richer, more demanding reading experience, which empowers the reader. Instead of handing us the answers on a plate, the book asks: I’d like to know what you think is happening.

As with so many of my Good to Read recommendations, Tribe of Kids is deceptively simple. Re-reads reveal more depth and nuance, such as this beautiful and poignant moment towards the end of the book that features a sprinkle of fireflies (and a family of stars): 

 

“[T]hese lightning bugs … light up all around [the boy’s] body to create a kind of faux constellation … that connects with a real star constellation of a mom and a dad. It’s a literal depiction of what the boy wants more than anything, to be a part of a family. Of course, the lightning bugs fly away, breaking up his little family of stars and he’s alone once again.”

- Lane Smith

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 

Driving the point home, Smith illustrates the boy next to a vast ‘ocean of blue’. He falls asleep in ‘a bed of clams’, into a night of dreams. 

Smith leaves it open to interpretation - but his take is that this is ‘a real night of hope, a night of wishing. The boy is dreaming he’ll be accepted someday, and the next morning his dream comes true.’

And indeed it does - the boy follows a trail of shells along the beach to a tribe of human kids. I love this ending! Full of joy, life and hope, it reminds me of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys (with the bonus of girls!).

 

‘[E]veryone is dressed in eclectic leaf garments similar to the [boy’s]. Is it a homecoming for the boy... or a discovery? Either scenario is cause for giddiness, along with some clever pantomiming of the boy’s adventures and more hugs, too.’

- Shelftalker

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 

For me, the whole book has a feeling of Eden (or a glimpse into a renewed Earth) about it. Indeed, Smith says that he ‘saw it as a tale of survival and the very first kids’:

 

“We never know if the little boy is lost from his family or if he started out a kind of solitary child on a quest to find his place. He goes through different tribes, herds, flocks, and families of animals until he finds a group of humans; kids living in this Eden-like setting wearing leafy garb and living in a big treehouse[.]” 

- Lane Smith

 

There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 Why There is a Tribe of Kids is Good to Read

It celebrates the wonders of the natural world.

It’s open to interpretation - making it excellent for group discussion.

It’s a timely reminder of the importance of play and exploration.

It’s educational (learn about collective nouns).

It supports emotional literacy (How do you think the boy is feeling?)

With detailed illustrations, it supports visual literacy. For example,

1. Right at the start, the boy uses twigs as horns to fit in with the goats.

2. The constellation of stars forms the outline of a mum and dad.

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There is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press 2016) | © 2016 by Lane Smith

 Winner of the 2017 Kate Greenaway Medal‘Loneliness, longing and quirky collective nouns combine to endearing effect.’- Wall Street Journal


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* I EARN COMMISSION FROM THese LINKs #AD SourcesThere is a Tribe of Kids By Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press, 2016)Kid’s Maximum Shelf: There is a Tribe of Kids (Shelfawareness.com, March 10, 2016) Chalk & Cheese Comics (Tim Warnes) An Interview with Lane Smith (Art of the Picture Book, July 2020)© 2020 BY TIM WARNES (UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.