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Click!

by Shutta Crum, John Beder, illus.

A mother and her little boy, and a polar bear and cub, have much in common in Shutta Crum’s newest picture book. Click! tells the parallel story of how the offspring of two mother hunters (one seeking seals, the other wildlife photos) have a chance encounter out on the Arctic ice. As the mothers intently pursue their targets, the little boy and the bear cub wander. After sliding down the same icy slope, the boy and cub unexpectedly come face-to-face and from that instant comes the most dramatic photo of the day. As night approaches, the mothers call their children and each family returns to the safety and warmth of its own den.

Although Crum’s writing is descriptive and sensitive, it’s jarring that she opens with attractively lyrical rhymes, setting up poetic expectations, only to shift awkwardly into prose for the main part of the story, then back to rhyme for the last page. The story would have been more unified if the rhyme scheme had been maintained throughout. 

B.C. artist John Beder’s double-paged spreads effectively connect the concurrent activities of both mother-child duos. His watercolours are cool enough to reproduce the icy landscape, but the wide-eyed expressions of boy, cub, and mothers add warmth and just the right amount of humour. A lovely touch is Beder’s depiction of Ursa Major and Minor twinkling in the Arctic dawn and dusk.

Reminiscent of Blueberries for Sal but with a distinctly Northern flavour, Click! reminds us how an ordinary day can suddenly become a fond memory. The eye-catching cover and the bedtime pace of the text make this gentle adventure pleasant reading, even for those who live far below the Arctic circle.

 

Reviewer: Jessica Kelley

Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside

DETAILS

Price: $19.95

Page Count: 32 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 1-55041-074-5

Released: Nov.

Issue Date: 2004-1

Categories: Picture Books

Age Range: ages 3-6