High in the Mountains

The visual beauty of mountain high country is evoked by Young's vibrant pastels and Radin's musical poem. ``High in the mountains / near Grandpa's house,'' says the child/narrator, ``I run in a meadow / between the slopes, / Then stop to pick some alpine flowers.'' She watches her shadow in afternoon sun and drives with her grandfather ``on a road that wraps like elastic around each slope'' until they reach their campsite ``up in the clouds.'' Although the focus of the text is upon the experiences of the child, the emphasis of the beautiful illustrations is upon panoramic vistas. Readers see the alpine flowers, but not the girl picking them, see the sun-dappled pond, but not the girl playing beside it. Her views become the readers' views, and--from the mists of sunrise to the purple shadows of night--give the book a quiet intensity. Ages 5-9. (Mar.)