A lovely book about a young boy named Rowan going canoe camping with his Mom and Mama “far, far away from the world he knows, and back again.”
In gentle prose, we learn about their trip—how they pack and unpack their things, the wildlife that Rowan observes, and how they portage from lake to lake. Canoe camping is hard work, though, and by the time they arrive at their campsite, Rowan is wet, itchy, sunburned, and hungry. There’s still more work to be done, though, and Rowan looks bewildered as his moms prepare dinner by filtering water from the lake and rehydrating strange-tasting camping food.
Worst of all, in the tent at night, he misses his large teddy bear (though he brought a small one)—but his moms take him outside to see the stars and the Northern Lights, a spectacle they are only able to see because of their hard work to get to someplace where it is dark enough to do so.
After that, Rowan is still sore and tired, but he’s now happy to be far, far away.
Backmatter explains that the story is fictional, but inspired by author Molly Beth Griffith’s own childhood experiences, and set in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota, part of the ancestral and current homeland of the Anishinaabe people.
I love this sweet story of family life outside of a typical setting. A queer mom of two herself, who is clearly familiar with her subject matter, Griffith captures the annoyances and fears of a young child on a first camping trip, but also conveys the wonder that the wilderness can offer, particularly when experienced with loving parents who are skilled campers. Illustrator Bao Luu’s images are soft and warm, and the characters’ expressive faces support and enhance the text.
This highly recommended story adds to the small but growing number of picture books in which the parents’ LGBTQ identities are incidental. Read it with kids before your next family adventure, or simply to pretend you’re on one.
Rowan and his moms are White.
