Climb On!

by Baptiste Paul, Jacqueline Alcántara (Illustrator)

Overview

A Bank Street Best Book of 2023! Take a hike with this father-daughter adventure that’s sure to inspire you to get outside.

When a young child reminds her dad about the hike they planned, her father is hesitant —To the tippy top? It’s a great day to watch futbol (soccer). But as the two climb on, her enthusiasm is contagious. Filled with setbacks, surprises, and stunning views, this warm and humorous story highlights in vivid colors the bonding power of a shared experience. A list of creatures at the end prompts a second look for keen-eyed readers to make discoveries of their own.

Baptiste Paul and Jacqueline Alcántara (co-creators of The Field) have teamed up again! Baptiste’s humorous and tender text, with a sprinkling of Creole words straight from the Pitons, and Jacqueline Alcántara’s vibrant and evocative illustrations capture the wonder and emotions experienced on the trail and the special relationship between a parent and child.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735845756
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	02/04/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Baptiste Paul is the award-winning author of The Field, Peace, To Carnival, and I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon. His works have garnered many starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal, and several titles have been translated into multiple languages. He loves writing stories inspired by his childhood in Saint Lucia and sharing his island culture and Kweyol/Creole language with anyone who will listen. He lives and works in the US, but will travel just about anywhere to talk about his books and St. Lucian culture as long as there is a way to get there. To learn more about Baptiste Paul, please visit www.baptistepaul.net.

Jacqueline Alcántara is the award-winning and critically acclaimed illustrator of The Field by Baptiste Paul which received 3 starred reviews and won the Sonia Lynn Sadler Award, was a Junior Library Guild selection, and also appeared on the Horn Book Fanfare Best of 2018, the School Library Journal Best of 2018, and the CCBC 2018 Choices lists. Her other books include Freedom Soup by Tami Charles, Jump at the Sun by Alicia D. Williams, and Jam,Too? by JaNay Brown-Wood. You can find her online at www.jacquelinealcantara.com, or follow her on Instagram @_jacqueline_alcantara

Editorial Reviews

Author Baptiste Paul has written a fun story sprinkled with the Creole patois native to the place the story takes place. The language is spare and lyrical, the story is compelling and fun. The rich and stunning illustrations created by Jacqueline Alcántara fill every page with marvelous details that will keep young listeners engaged throughout repeated readings. This is a real winner.

San Francisco Book Review

Mouté! Climb on!” A hike to the summit of a tropical peak has a father and child bonding through movement in this effervescent book by Paul and Alcántara. Filling backpacks with water, snacks, and a first aid kit, the book’s brown-skinned protagonists follow a lush, animal-filled path that has them swinging past a waterfall, climbing a spindly ladder, and scaling rocks until, at last, they reach the top with its views of the town below. Paul’s staccato prose fluidly mixes Creole and English for a rhythmic effect that emphasizes the exertion on display: “Fé vit. Hurry up!/ Step./ Breathe./ Sweat.” Bursting with verdant foliage, Alcántara’s exuberant illustrations capture the physicality of the story through varied perspectives. A final scene prompts readers to seek-and-find creatures that appear throughout, but even without this layer of directed interactivity, the creators’ combined efforts create a father-child adventure that readily engages.

Publishers Weekly

Lush and lovely, with an original story.

Fuse #8 Blog, SLJ.com - Betsy Bird

The story, with all the familiar beats of give and take between parent and child, delivers on the promise of a great hike. The banter is spot-on, and the duo’s feeling of accomplishment radiates off the page.

School Library Journal

It’s a beautiful morning, and even though Dad just wants to watch futbol, his full-of-energy daughter reminds him that
he promised to go on a hike with her. “Annou ale! Off we go!” to the “tippy top” of their lush Caribbean island. The
adventurous duo encourages each other in Creole, and the accompanying English text makes for easy reading, as does
its spacious, verse-like placement amid the rich, full-bleed illustrations. The hike is more challenging than either one
expected—“Mouté! Climb on!”—until finally, they make it to the top, from which they can see their whole town and
the sea beyond. If only someone had brought a camera! Oh, well. “Chonjé. Remember.” Fans of the creators’ previous,
lively, futbol-centered collaboration, The Field (rev. 5/18), will cheer this very welcome addition, but this book also
easily stands on its own. The endpapers encourage readers to go back through the book to find a variety of creatures
hidden on the pages.

The Horn Book

A lovely—and needed—book about the rewards of persistence and Black people enjoying nature.

Kirkus Reviews

The colorful illustrations work well on many levels...Paul and Alcántara...now lead viewers on a memorable excursion, captured in this vibrant picture book. - STARRED REVIEW

Booklist

2021-12-16
A girl and her father, both brown-skinned, hike to the “tippy top” of a mountain in Saint Lucia.

“It’s a great day for watching futbol,” says Daddy, but his daughter wants to go hiking, and she’s raring to go. Dad reminds her that they have to pack their knapsacks. Soon after, they’re off! As they leave their seaside village, the girl shoots ahead eagerly while her father paces himself. Ascending the lushly forested slope, they admire tropical flora and fauna. Dad struggles and pauses to rest, but the spirited girl is undaunted; full of joyful abandon, she leaps over boulders, skirts the insects that attack Dad, and uses a vine to swing across a river, much to her father's dismay. There are mishaps (nothing too serious!), but the pair persist and “mouté! Climb on!” Paul’s text is narrated with brio and exclamations aplenty. Short sentences create a sense of urgency that mirrors the girl’s excitement and haste. Saint Lucian Creole words appear throughout and are glossed in-text, adding cultural authenticity; unfortunately, the words are othered with italicization. Alcántara’s signature motion-packed art, rendered vibrantly in pencil, marker, and gouache with digital touches, lends itself well to a story centering physical activity. Varying visual perspectives allow readers to better feel the characters’ emotions and appreciate the spectacular setting. A surprise seek-and-find challenge at the end can be enjoyed by a broad age range.

A lovely—and needed—book about the rewards of persistence and Black people enjoying nature. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews