Wild Trails to the Sea

by Penelope Jackson, Elena Skoreyko Wagner (Illustrator)

A tender story celebrating the natural world and our place within it, featuring lyrical verse and bold, tactile paper-collage illustrations. A tender and lyrical story celebrating the natural world and our place within it, Wild Trails to the Sea follows a coastal family as seasons change and children grow. With a hopeful refrain, a parent shares their dreams for their young ones, urging them to pay attention to every bit of magic the world has to offer, from watching a mayflower bloom to skipping pebbles on an icy pond, encouraging a lifelong love of natural spaces. Told in gentle free-verse with luminous, tactile illustrations, this nostalgic story celebrates raising children in the great outdoors and will leave them enchanted with the lemon-burst of spruce tips, the steam of saltwater bonfires, and white rocks as vast as the moon. The debut children's picture book by celebrated Halifax-based editor and co-author of Amazing Atlantic Canadian Women and York-based, Nova Scotia – born paper-collage artist Elena Skoreyko Wagner, Wild Trails to the Sea is a love letter to the earth, the sky, and the sea ― and to their future stewards.

Genres: Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published April 23, 2024

Reviews

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ebook was made available for me to read and review by Penelope Jackson, Nimbus Publishing, and NetGalley.

The illustrator of this picture book is Elena Skoreyko Wagner. The illustrations look like paper cut outs layered to create a photo like effect. Just visually textured and stunning.

This delightful picture book is about a family exploring the path through the woods to the sea. It continues through the years and the seasons. This explores the animals they see, the food they eat, the nature they explore and the games they play together. It's sweet and inviting. Featuring vibrant pictures and sparse dialogue which is perfect for newish readers. Allowing them to find and read the words they already know. My grandkids loved this!

Thank you to Penelope Jackson, Nimbus Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ebook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

[Reading Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are in love with this book. We get to follow a family that lives on the coast and what they see as the seasons change. It is a lyrical story that shows us the joy and adventure we can find outdoors. I love that it is so encouraging about loving nature and being outside. We love seeing them enjoy the sun, the plants and the animals. Our favorite was the bonfires and dancing outside. What made this book special for me are the amazing illustrations created by Elena Skoreyko Wagner. She uses every page to create the perfect visual using scraps of paper that seem to pop from the page. The attention to detail really creates a perfect story in picture and text. Your family will love this little adventure outdoors by the sea.
1000 Stars

[Cynthia Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE IT!

The words and their combos:
you are an icicle melting on the hot sand….a witches cloak studded with embers and stars and fireflies.

So many more words describing the wonders of the land so vividly.

And the illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful.

This will be my go-to for any newborn baby gifts!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book - the note on the copyright page about how it illustrates Nova Scotia (a place I've never been but have always wanted to visit!), the gorgeous and creative layered paper illustrations, the overarching theme of enjoying nature through all seasons, and the fact that the children depicted looked like and reminded me of my own <3

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book full of hope. Hope that a child in your life takes time to smell the roses and notices the little things that make life special. One thing to notice is the illustrations. They were all cut and torn paper. It’s a type of collage that is very pristine, and it is beautifully done. Altogether this book is full of quiet beauty that one will want to hand to their children and to their children’s children.

[K D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I could see reading to my kids often. It is all hopes that I have for my kiddos. I think if you are someone who loves to share the outdoors with your little ones you would love to read this book to them.

The art really added to the story. It was bright and textured and adds small details to go along with the story.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book of hopes and wishes that the reader experience all of the wonderful things at the shore. The author is from Canada, but the illustrations look to be from anywhere the seasons are definitive (like Duluth!). Wonderful!
The illustrations by Elena Skoreyko Wagner are textured, fun, imaginative, colorful, and clearly convey the ideas of each wish.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, especially to a school, church library, or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Nimbus Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
Available Aug 06, 2024 #CanadianAuthor

[Karalee Shotola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book follows a family who spends time in nature throughout the seasons. I love the paper-collage illustrations, and the illustrations are unique and colorful. The book is great for celebrating nature, and I believe it would appeal to many kids.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book for review.

[Katherine McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take an adventure or peacefully stroll through nature in this book. Through a layered and textured art style, the beauty of nature is conveyed. The book encourages us to be present in the moment. To slow down and enjoy everything the seasons have to offer.

I really liked the flow of this one. I can see this being a great story time book for my library.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book beautifully expresses the love and beauty of nature, including peepers, wild animals, beaches, wild-growing berries, bonfires on the beach, icy ponds, and more. Delightful story and illustrations.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply beautiful, both words and illustrations.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars? [in my storytime notes I gave this 4 stars in July, and 5 stars in August, so...]

story and illustrations both so very good