The Path

A small humanoid figure with a curlicue of hair and a shifting fantastical skin color embarks on a white, winding path in this extended visual metaphor for life’s journey. At first, the “well-worn path that many others have taken before you” is a veritable walk in the park: it “might weave through valleys of wildflowers bathed in the warm sunlight,” writes Staake as the figure walks through rolling fields dotted with red flowers. But sometimes it gets tough: big gray boulders block the path, followed by a dark forest, “terrifying and dangerous rivers,” and a cave that could be a dead end. But the figure, never daunted, emerges triumphant, ready to blaze a trail that’s all their own. Alongside the sentimental text, Staake’s graphical worldbuilding, which keeps even the purportedly frightening moments steeped in the natural world’s beauty, is high style all the way. Includes a detachable poster. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)