Rumie Goes Rafting

by Meghan Marentette

An ambitious yet impatient little critter seeks adventure outside their cozy forest home
Adventurous little Rumie longs to sail down the stream and find out where it leads, but the water is too low for Uncle Hawthorne’s boat. Suddenly, a ladybird floating on a leaf gives Rumie an idea—they should build a raft! With Uncle’s help, the raft is built and plans are made to take it out the following day. When Rumie wakes up early the next morning, Uncle is still asleep. Impatient, Rumie decides to test out the raft on their own, but rain from the night before has made the current too strong, and they’re nearly swept over a waterfall! Luckily, just as the raft capsizes, Uncle comes to their rescue. Rumie admits that they should have waited for Uncle instead of going out alone, and the pair spend the afternoon on the lake instead. Photographs of cuddly plush critters on a real-life forest backdrop bring Rumie’s woodland adventure to life. This visually stunning debut by author and illustrator Meghan Marentette is a nod to the boundless resourcefulness and creativity of children, and a gentle lesson in practicing patience.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Adventure, Childrens, Art, Photography

36 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2024

About the author

Meghan Marentette has always loved tiny things. Nicknamed "Meghan Mouse" as a child, she spent hours collecting bits and pieces to build miniature worlds for her toys. As an adult she worked in the film industry, making costumes for the tiny puppets of stop-motion animation TV series, but eventually longed to create tiny worlds of her own again.

She began by conceiving a miniature world for mice in her debut novel, The Stowaways (finalist for the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award, the Ann Connor Brimer award, and the Monica Hughes Science Fiction and Fantasy Award), then decided to delve further into her passion by creating a miniature world in three dimensions.

Meghan is now working on a series of photo-illustrated picture books, starring two wire-framed plush animals named Rumie and Uncle Hawthorne. Set in an idyllic forest and on interior sets of their home inside a hollow tree, Rumie Goes Rafting is the first book in the series (2024).

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have been obsessed with this as a kid

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are amazing. The illustrations consist of photos and a stuffed animal being used for the illustration rather than graphics. I loved that aspect the most about the book. This book reminds me of how kids play with their dolls or figurines and imagine a whole world as they play. Kids can learn patience by reading this book.

Love Always, Catherine

I received an advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Charessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Owlkids and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

The first thing I want to say is I am totally in love with the pictures in this book. I genuinely can stare at and admire them all day long. Each one of them is carefully and lovingly set up to show the dolls and props interacting with the natural world in a, well, natural way. It's the definition of whimsy and I want to live in the set.

The story itself is a very simple one of kid wants to go on an adventure and adult guardian tells them that safety is the most important thing on an adventure so it's best to get prepared first. Kid then gets ahead of their self and into quite a pickle wherein thankfully they are rescued by said adult guardian. Kid learns lesson and has a wonderful time with the adult guardian on their adventure together and ends up thinking about their next one already. It's classic, it's easy to understand, and it's to the point.

Personally, I think this book shines most with its creative pictures and anyone could get lost just looking at all the little details in each one. That's not to say the story is weak--I just think the text story supplements the pictures instead of the other way around. I rather enjoyed it.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rumie is an adorable little mouse who wants to build a raft to go rafting. Rumie and Uncle Hawthorne spend the day building one and agree to do a safety test the next day. Rumie is so excited that he isn't listening when his uncle talks about the life vests. Although the water level had been low when they were building the raft, it rains hard that night and raises the water level significantly. Since Uncle Rumie stayed up late making the life vests, Rumie wakes up first and decides to test the raft on his own. This is an exciting story with an element of danger. Fortunately, Rumie is safe and learns an important lesson about water safety. The detailed photo illustrations are absolutely precious. Rumie and his uncle are stuffed dolls, their home is like a woodlands dollhouse and items such as buttons, bottlecaps and a spool of thread are used for accessories. This will be a fun picture book to read and share.

[Halifax Nature · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a unique concept, taking elements of stop motion stills and creating them in nature is something that is truly unique.
Reading Rumie Goes Rafting has allowed me to get lost in the books words and pictures. The author has created a book that draws you in to the forest and the creature's world. You can read it again and again and still see, feel, think something new each time. I loved seeing the intricacies of the props, the detail oriented puppets and staging of the photos.
This book would be great for children with vivid imaginations, children who love detail, children with lots of empathy, in fact children of all kinds. As an adult reading it, I would say the same, adults are going to love immersing themselves in the world of a small forest creature! I love it!

[Abby (the_rainydayreader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and to Owlkids Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This is a delightful, cozy picture book about a young rabbit and his uncle who live in a forest and want to make a raft to sail on the river. The photo illustrations are absolutely captivating and adorable, showing the stuffed rabbits among the little human trinkets they've found to build their house and raft. and the text is easy to read over the solid color sides of the pages. This is such a unique looking picture book and I think that parents and children would love to read it again and again. I will definitely order it for our public library.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uniquely illustrated picture book about a mouse craving adventure and learning a lesson about safety on the water. Meghan Marentette photographs each scene in Rumie’s quest to sail down the river in a spot by an actual stream and using twigs, bark, repurposed ribbon and material and more to create Rumie, his grandfather and every element of their rafting trip. The text is brief and has plenty of information to encourage children to think about their own adventures and the illustrations may spur them to head into their backyards, fields near their homes, etc. to build their own adventure spots.

Thanks for the finished copy, Owl Kids Publishing.

[Mary C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rumie wants to go sailing, but the water is too low for his uncle's boat. When he seea a ladybug float
on a leaf, the idea of a building a raft pops into his mind. With his uncle's help, they construct a
raft. His uncle says they will take the raft on a safety test tomorrow if he can find life vests.
When Rumie wakes up the next morning, Rumie is too impatient to wait for his uncle and heads out
the raft alone. Disaster strikes but luckily his uncle is there to rescue him. Rumie realizes that he
should have listened to his uncle and waited.
#RumieGoesRafting #NetGalley

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A picture book created with photographs is fairly uncommon, but this was amazing. The words/story are simple enough for a storytime (boat theme? adventure theme?), but the photographs are detailed enough for kids to pore over during multiple reads either one-on-one or solo. I appreciated that the background and the props were all appropriately scaled for the smallness of the main character, and the fact that the poses weren't static, but strongly suggested motion. This would also work for a Fairy House program because of all the natural materials used.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

These illustrations/photographs are delightful! The story is cute, with a small bunny, Rumie, who dreams of adventure, but gets ahead of his uncle and ends up in a predicament. He learns that adventures are better when shared, so there is a good moral to the cute story. However, the illustrations are the real shine here. The illustrations are diorama photographs with mostly natural elements. Rumie is a cute stuffed rabbit which will delight young readers. Charming!

[Ember Air · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! The story was engaging, and the artwork has so much fine detail that you could spend 10 minutes looking at each page. Very engaging. I really enjoyed the stop-motion feel and depth that the miniatures in real life created.

The story is about the importance of patience, how excitement can overwhelm good sense, and how it is important to listen to your grown-ups warnings.

[Harriet Muncaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been waiting to get my hands on this picture book for sooo long and I was so excited to finally get my copy! It's BEAUTIFUL! If you love 3d illustration and tiny things then you will adore Rumie Goes Rafting! Everything has been handmade in miniature and then photographed and the attention to detail is incredible!!! I also love that the scenes have been shot in nature, all centred round a real beautiful tiny stream in Nova Scotia. It really is an absolute work of art!

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable and creative picture book that teaches a life lesson about patience, safety, and the need for children to always have an adult present during adventures.

The author's website has some interesting stuff where she shares how she creates these mini worlds and characters and how she captures the shots for the book. Very cool!

[Sharlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.40 - Mediocre
Weak message of patience. Creative and well-composed images that are created from real-life elements such as miniatures. No introduction to characters. Text placement could be improved to become more effective. Whimsical setting. Straight-to-the-point plot leaves no room for imagination. Adorable protagonist.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful, artful creation of love; an adorable story with presence and balance. The gorgeous Nova Scotian wilderness comes to life in these stunningly crafted shots on each page. Minuscule details throughout mean there’s something new to see each time you look! Although it was an instant hit with the little one I bought this for, it was a pleasure to read as an adult as well.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful children's book.

Meghan Marenette's handcrafted scenes are amazing and provide the backdrop to an engaging story of adventure, peril, and family coming to the rescue. We had the privilege of seeing Meghan's creations on display at a book fair, which added to the wonder for us.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was ridiculously cute! I loved the little handmade furniture, props, and characters, and the woodsy backgrounds were perfect.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children will love the photo illustrations in this series debut picture book from Canada. Readers will be left wondering what adventures Rumie and Uncle Hawthorne will go on in the next title.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this title.

[Claire Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

the pictures alone garner the 5 star review. that being said, the story is super cute too. it also heralds a relationship between a lil one and their uncle, which i feel like is kind of rare!!

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story and cute pictures

[Ange (Our Epic TBR List) Schmelzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art media in this is INCREDIBLE! What a fantastic idea!

[Elizabeth]

I loved the illustrations! I actually went to the author's website to see how they were created, and I was even more in awe.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the photography in the book. just beautiful

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I read a digital advance copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley / Edelweiss
Rumie is a curious little woodland creature, longing for adventure. When she and Uncle Hawthorne create a raft to explore the stream, Rumie cannot wait for the safety tests or life jackets. Rumie soon discovers that adventures are better shared. The photographed dolls and their settings make this a beautiful book with a rich setting. I can just see the child's imagination at work with each photograph. What a delightful book!

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Rumie! You are so cute! The details in this book are precious from the little acorn cap candleholders and even a champagne topper as one too! Very dear crafty creativity. The story and adventure is also exciting. Rumie learns that safety is first and not to get too carried away with excitement. I hope there will be more Rumie adventures to come :)

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ramie wanted to go boating, but the stream was too low for his uncle Hawthorne’s boat. Together they built a raft, but Ramie’s uncle was trying to find the lifejackets so that they could try it out the next morning. While his uncle was still sleeping, Ramie got up early to test the raft alone and got himself into a situation where he needed help. Great illustrations.