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This book is wordless and yet, says so much about a child's imagination. Reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon, Journey's protagonist is a little girl who is sadly ignored by her family. She uses a red crayon to draw a doorway into a magical realm. She also creates a boat, a hot air balloon and a magic carpet. She eventually finds a doorway back to the default. She has brought back the magic with her and she finds another child to imagine with, as he has a crayon (purple) too. They draw the wheels of a tandem bike and off they go. Great book!

I could definitely relate to the protagonist, as I remember the feelings of overwhelming frustration when something I was doing as a child wasn't turning out quite right, especially if it was supposed to be something creative. I loved how at the end, the child ends up creating a scooter and attached side car for her best friend, her dog. The well done illustrations beautifully illustrate the little girl's creativity and imagination.

What a beautiful picture book! This was a great take on the concept of an imaginary friend who tires of waiting to be picked by a child and leaves the magical island where he was born to find him/her. I loved the gorgeous, colorful illustrations, especially those depicting the magical island and all the other imaginary creatures, in somewhat familiar shapes (a cat, a panda, a robot, and one who look an awful lot like Sigmund from the late 70's Sid and Marty Krofft children's show, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters). The protagonist's journey across dangerous waters reminded me much of the character Max's similar crossing in Where the Wild Things Are. When the protagonist finally finds the child, a little girl, their first meeting goes from awkward to touching when she gives him the name Beekle. With his new friend, Beekle has many adventures and the last illustration depicts several children and their imaginary friends who we saw on the magical island, with the last line reading: "And together they did the unimaginable" This book left a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart. That's magic!

I truly enjoyed this book! I could really tell author Erica S. Perl was both a fan of discount clothing and had, nevertheless, done hours and hours of research in vintage stores. I could really see such detail in the vintage store where Veronica worked, from the seclusion of the Consignment Corner to the sprawling chaos of the Dollar-a-Pound floor, to the odd characters that both work and shop there. Kudos to Perl for having the courage to portray her protagonist, Veronica Walsh, as a sensitive, self-protective, insecure 15 year old survivor of early childhood trauma in the form of teasing because of her overweight body. When Veronica is being prickly, projecting an “I don’t care” attitude toward other characters, I understand it’s her self-protective reflex and I empathize. Conversely, when Veronica’s allowing others with cruel impulses to dominate her, as if she was trying to please them, I empathize with how this also stems from her body weight insecurity. Perl tests the limits of that empathy when she has Veronica caving into negative peer pressure and treating a truly “nice guy” character, Lenny, really badly. It’s only when she begins to discover Lenny’s caring and gentle personality, as well as his compassion for animals, including a lizard named Violet, Veronica realizes how her assumptions about him were just a way to avoid being vulnerable; its easier to make fun of someone else rather than being the one made fun of. However, when things blow up in Veronica’s face, she is initially in denial of and seemingly cannot face the consequences of her actions, making any bit of wisdom she eventually gains hard won. There were several times when I groaned because Veronica had yet again missed an opportunity to tell the truth to bullies and stand up for herself and Lenny. The ending was not clean and neat, but satisfying in its hopefulness. I got to vicariously experience Veronica’s moment of clarity and self-growth, though learned the hard way, that other people have feelings too. By the end of the book, I felt Veronica begin to grow up. Overall, a well written book with a protagonist who is a challenge to like, but definitely worth the journey.

I really enjoyed this book! The setting and realistic circumstances were sobering and grounding; the parents of the main character, Wahoo, have endured dire financial hardship, which is what leads Wahoo's dad to take the animal wrangling job on the Derek Badger Reality Show, "Expedition Survival." The dialogue between Wahoo and his father seemed to illustrate their special bond. Though Wahoo knows his dad is far from perfect, he truly cares about him and his well being. He also cares about Tuna, a local girl in the Florida Everglades who is running from an abuse father who later shows up with a gun. The character of Derek Badger is hilarious is a lot of fun to read. I could picture him bumbling through the Everglades, as confident in his abilities as Alfalfa was in his voice. The only doink I have is the boatman speaking in "Ebonics," the Universal code in children's books to notate that the characters are Black/African-American. This is a pet peeve of mine, especially if the character is portrayed to be not so bright. I have seen this in one book too many.