Yellow Kayak

A young child and a faithful giraffe companion take to the ocean in a yellow kayak. Initially, their journey is calm yet exciting. “Fish jump” and “Loons float” while they drift out to sea through a picturesque arch as the sun sinks toward the horizon. But tension increases as an adventure-inducing breeze swells the ocean waves to a tempestuous storm. When the skies clear once more, just as the brave sailors seem to be out of harm’s way, a giant tail rises from the water, and “monster” whales are discovered circling beneath the fragile kayak. But “Eyes watch, then understand,” and the imposing creatures turn out to be an escort home, where the child and giraffe sit safely on the dock, watching the day end as they savor their ocean journey. Laden’s rhymes are delightful throughout, though a near rhyme disappoints in the midst of otherwise perfect rhymes. Castrillon’s color scheme is bold and imaginative, although when coupled with the text it could at times confuse young readers (for instance, the “blue sky” is actually depicted yellow). Her memorable, pencil-sketched, digitally-colored illustrations have a notable layered, lithograph-like element to them and, combined with Laden’s minimal text, present many moments to simply admire the beautiful ocean imagery.