Reviews for One giant leap

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A walk on the moon has never been this fun. An unnamed, tan-skinned child bundles up in a jacket, checkered gloves, and a hat and takes an elevator to the surface of the moon. A wordless journey begins as the protagonist sets foot on the dusty exterior, jumps over moon rocks with gravity-less abandon, and plants a purple-checked flag on the very top. After taking a tumble from the summit, the child sees clawed footprints in the dust and eventually comes across large paisley-printed birdlike creatures and brightly colored space monsters. Our hero attempts to communicate with these creatures but flees after one waves its arms menacingly. The child bounds for safety from both the monsters and the extreme elements. The expedition ends when the child flings a door open to see other young people putting their coats away as a snowy school day is about to start. The final spread shows the inclemently weathered path taken by our intrepid explorer from an apartment building across the way to the schoolhouse. Eagle-eyed readers will notice the patterns of the classmates’ coats matching those of the creatures encountered on the moonwalk as well as the rough terrain mimicking the school playground. The collage illustrations, in a palette dominated by deep blacks and oranges, capture the spirited imagination of a young person at play. An out-of-this-world good time. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Publishers Weekly
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The out-of-this-world exploits of an intrepid explorer propel Lam’s well-paced wordless story. Suited up in boots and gloves, a brown-skinned astronaut emerges into a craggy gray landscape. The figure leaps and climbs a mountain only to tumble downward and into a crater, where the discovery of birdlike footprints leads to an encounter with a giant, splodge- patterned creature. After communicating via drawings and signs, the human is soon slipping and sliding again, this time landing at the feet of three new beings. The helmeted protagonist races to escape, snow begins falling, and paneled artwork pictures the figure trudging through difficult weather until, at last, a turned handle reveals the adventure for what it was. Careful paper cut-outs succeed in creating drama out of gesture, physical form, and the strangeness of the landscape being traversed. Ages 3–7. (Feb.)


School Library Journal
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PreS-K—A visually adventurous, wordless picture book from reliably creative Lam, demonstrating the immersive nature of a robust imagination. Light brown fingers lift the zipper of an orange suit; small hands yank on stubborn boots and gloves; brown eyes look out from beneath a snuggly hat. An elevator descends to ground level and out steps a confident young astronaut. Romping across rugged terrain, the child explores expansive surroundings and follows a set of mysterious tracks leading to a gaggle of odd, adorably patterned extraterrestrial creatures. Pictographs drawn in the dirt communicate that Earth is home and the astronaut is searching for a lost rocket ship. Climbing a tall, colorfully speckled creature, the child scans the horizon for signs of the ship. The hapless young astronaut slides down the giant creature's back and lands face-to-face with a trio of frightful creatures. Attempting a quick getaway, the weightless child flails and tumbles. Stopping to rest, everything around the child suddenly stills and fades to black. Lam leads readers on a wordless adventure through extraordinary paper collage illustrations contained within various sized frames. Reflections in the young astronaut's helmet skillfully add dimension, sharing the child's point of view and contextualizing events out of frame. A curveball ending illustrates how imagination employs the elements of color, shape, and texture to transport oneself beyond the present. VERDICT Whether shared with preliterate children or in units on imaginative play, this ingenious title will have readers flipping back to the beginning of the story to repeat the adventure with an alternative perspective.—Emily Brush

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