Read Island

A young girl travels to an isle of stories in Magistro's debut picture book with illustrations by Feagan. After dawn, a nameless child with olive skin, brown eyes, and long, wavy brown hairsets sail to an island composed of books. There, a sea wolf announces that it's safe for all the other animals to come out, including grizzly bears, eagles, whales, elk, foxes, and salmon. They gather for a reading by a fox who encourages them to "Breathe in. Breathe out. Listen well." The tale, told in short, rhyming proverbs from a poetic second-person perspective, is immersive. However, some readers may wish for a more well-defined plot. After the many vivid animal descriptions ("An eagle lands, a humpback waves"), not much happens on Read Island--but perhaps that's Magistro's point. Feagan's winning, joyful illustrations, which use pleasing, delicate color palettes, make up for the lack of a strong storyline. One of the images--a fantastical, dynamic rainbow, featuring mermaids, gryphons, astronauts, and dragons--effectively captures the feeling of reading something really special for the first time. In the end, Magistro clarifies her point about the safe space that reading creates: "This world of stories, safe and true, / Is always here to welcome you." A beautifully illustrated children's poem about the joys of reading. COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.