Drawing Outdoors

Starred review from August 29, 2022
Dinosaurs inspire a day of creativity for the student body of a remote mountain school in this charming translation. Though “our school has almost nothing. A blackboard, some chairs,” it does have “a teacher. She’s always there.” And today, she leads the class, which includes students of various skin tones, on an excursion: “We are explorers, we have paper, we have crayons.” In a wonderful moment of unexplained surprise, a purple brontosaurus peeking out between some riverfront trees becomes the students’ first subject, and other classics soon become artistic fodder. Presented as a first-person account, the narrative draws its minimal momentum largely from plainspoken dialogue. While it’s not difficult to spot the dinos, their positioning and depiction is handled with enough subtlety to provide the feel of adventurous page-turning discovery. Ages 5–9.

Starred review from May 20, 2022

PreS-Gr 2-This engaging picture book presents a different take on the term "remote learning." In an unnamed country, a tiny one-room schoolhouse stands "between two mountains, near a river, in the middle of nowhere." Other than a blackboard and some chairs, its only real resource is a creative and intrepid teacher, who greets the children at the door and tells them that their lessons for the day will be outside. The young explorers, accompanied by a scruffy dog and three chickens, grab their paper and crayons and follow the woman down to the river. Their first sighting is a large brontosaurus that has stopped for a drink, and the kids get busy recording their observations in sketchbooks and on canvases. They next spot a triceratops and a stegosaurus (it's the one with "rocks on its back"). The bright sunny day darkens when a bunch of pterodactyls fly overhead, and lastly, but hardly least, a tyrannosaurus rex roars into view. Some of the kids run back to school, while only the bravest stay and draw. The class wraps up their full and exhilarating day and looks forward to another day at el recreo. Buitrago's simple, straightforward text is elevated and expanded by Yockteng's gorgeous digital landscapes, full of textural and playful details. The giant creatures seem genuinely at home in this lush natural environment, as do the teacher and her class. This clever book is a subtle reminder that education and recreation need not be mutually exclusive exercises and that big ideas happen when you think outside the box. VERDICT A must-have for STEAM classes and for dino lovers everywhere.-Luann Toth

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2022
Between two lush green mountains, beside a pure blue river sits a school alone. Inside the small pastel-colored building, there's not much: "A blackboard, some chairs." Who stands at the doorway every morning? A teacher, and today she's ready to lead the class outdoors. Behind her, a slew of students--of various skin tones and ages--trail. "We are explorers, we have papers, we have crayons." What will the students observe and draw today? Among the trees, a Brontosaurus drinks from the river. Atop a grand rock, a Triceratops stands tall with a hen perched upon one of its horns. Later, a pack of pterodactyls blot out the sun, soaring among white clouds. Even a Tyrannosaurus rex makes an appearance--with a roar. Some students flee. "Only the bravest of us stay on and draw." Another fanciful collaboration full of wonder, Buitrago and Yockteng's (Wounded Falcons, 2021) latest boasts a deceptively straightforward premise that begs for rereads. The clean, vibrant artwork brings forth an idyllic landscape brimming with vast vistas hinting at the magical whimsy, which echoes across the small interactions among students in the background. Precise, sparse text (a translation provided once again by Amado) carries playfully from moment to moment. When class concludes at the end of the day, another inspiring school day seems right around the corner. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Schoolhouse bliss. (Picture book. 4-8)

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April 1, 2022
Preschool-Grade 3 A remote, small school, situated "between two mountains, near a river, in the middle of nowhere," has only a blackboard and some chairs, but this doesn't prevent its steadfast, ingenious teacher from opening a world of possibilities to her students. Indoor lessons move outside and the young learners transform into intrepid paleontologist explorers and artists. With simply stated, beguiling directness, the child narrator draws readers into the class's creative play. During their outdoor artistic excursion, imaginations soar and blank canvases quickly fill with spectacular dinosaur pictures. Careful observations and charismatic, well-timed promptings conjure fantastical images of a triceratops perched on a rock, and a "branch as big as a Diplodocus." Yockteng's verdant digital illustrations offer clever perspectives, from an aerial view of a purple brontosaurus with a winding path tail to glimpses of a T. rex hidden behind tree trunks. This inspired story about the magic of art, nature, and educators is a breath of fresh air.

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