Wherever You Go

In this inspiring tale from Miller and Wheeler, roads are used as an apt metaphor for the journey of life. Roads lead out the front door to new experiences, new friendships, new discoveries, and, when the time is right, back home again. Initially the road’s path is described in mere physical characteristics. Roads take you “Over a hill, / under a bridge, / deep in a valley, / high on a ridge.” But then the meaning of the road turns deeper, clearly symbolizing the journeys of life. “Bringing you closer, / then curving away. / You always have choices. / To go? / Or to stay?” Miller demonstrates mastery of cadence and perfect rhymes, and her rhyming selections are refreshingly original. To a fault, the roads of the journey are unimpeded, with only a mention of looking back at the end of the road to see where we “tripped” along the way. Wheeler’s illustrations are superb and consistent with the tone of the poem as readers pass through space and time on the journey of life. Her use of warm lighting portrays the reflective nature of the poem, whether it’s the soft glow from lights inside buildings and homes or the colorful rays of sunsets and sunrises. Her illustrations are nostalgically hyperbolic: tall-masted ships, teal country huts with straw roofs, ornate bridges and city skylines. There’s even a treehouse village tucked away in leaves turned purple in the dim light of dusk. While her color palette is not realistic, it is incredibly fitting. At times she depicts the ocean in soft pinks, while later it’s blue. The detailed tableaus she includes throughout make for delightful new discoveries with each re-reading of the book.