Wherever You Go

This joyful book explores the power of roads to transport, connect, entertain, enlighten, and return adventurers home. Miller's (Sophie's Squash) buoyant rhymes follow a bicycling rabbit along country, seaside, city, and mountain roads. What makes the tacit invitation to ride along irresistible are Wheeler's (The Grudge Keeper) sprawling, bustling landscapes, which encourage readers to imagine stories within the story. Saturated with glowing golden tones, the mixed-media pictures feature fantastical architectural flourishes while highlighting the rabbit's propensity for making friends. After he loads an owl onto his bike, they climb aboard a VW bus jammed with animal passengers to continue their tour, enjoying what each stop has to offer (a tea party in a tree house, a hike up a mountain) and each other's company. Miller's gentle urging to chart new courses ("If you yearn for the ocean or wish for a stream,/ roads bring you closer to reaching your dream") gives this lovely offering appeal both as an inspirational gift book and as a bedtime tale. Ages 3%E2%80%936. Author's agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Jennifer Rof%C3%A9, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Apr.)