Lehman's creation recalls old-fashioned English adventure stories that use charmed means to bring coddled children outdoors for healthy fun. Now even nonreaders can have a magic adventure story of their very own; they'll treasure it. Publishers Weekly, Starred This wordless story is straightforward but not predictable. This appealing rainy-day tale will stir the imagination of those who have ever looked for something to do on a gloomy day. School Library Journal, Starred Lehman compacts a wealth of storytelling into her wordless narrative. Another surrealist triumph from a vigorous emerging talent. Kirkus Reviews, Starred Once again, Lehman provides purely colored, precisely rendered artwork that capably captures both adventures and emotions. Booklist, ALA This wordless book is close kin to Lehman's 2005 Caldecott Honor, The Red Book: again, clean, rectilinear compositions connote confinement of place and spirit, though the heavy, rough-edged drafting has a softer effect here, lightened by vistas of sea, sky, and happy children.

The motif of an imaginative journey to a place virtually the opposite of the one escaped also recurs, though with significant differences: except for the not-quite-impossible tunnel and mood-reflecting weather, this is a realistic tale of finding friendship--or, perhaps, of overcoming sadness. And there are plenty of significant visual details and connections to mull over as viewers put these curious events into words. Horn Book.