Equipped with a map, boots, a walking stick, and a jaunty trail hat, a girl ventures from the rim of the Grand Canyon down to the Colorado River at the very bottom. In expansive block prints whose radiant colors and heroic characterizations recall vintage murals, Wolff (Baby Bear Sees Blue) portrays her intrepid heroine as confident and largely independent (while her parents accompany her, they remain background characters), in the midst of an adventure that’s every bit as grand as the setting’s name promises. Winding through billions of years of striated stone, the girl spots petroglyphs and mule trains, as well as majestic bighorn sheep, speckled lizards, and soaring condors. Scanlon (The Good-Pie Party) builds many couplets around the use of the contraction “here’s” (“Here’s a tree with roots in rock,/ and hello, Mr. Red-Tailed Hawk!”), creating the sense that readers are witnessing each sight or discovery right alongside the girl. Readers may well close the book demanding that the next family vacation takes them into the wild.

– Publishers Weekly, June 1, 2015

A girl narrates in rhyming couplets the various sights she sees while hiking through Arizona’s Grand Canyon, including flora and fauna, park workers, and evidence of past human habitation. An abrupt change in setting on the last page shows the narrator in what appears to be her city bedroom, reflecting on her experiences. A note about the author’s experience visiting the Grand Canyon joins a glossary and a short list of websites as back matter. Wolff’s bold block print and gouache illustrations, featuring strong black outlines, are the highlight of this offering. Sweeping natural vistas, seen from a point of view just above the action, alternate with close-ups of the narrator and her ranger and animal companions. The large serif typeface, sometimes printed in black and sometimes in white, is easy for beginning readers to decode....VERDICT Purchase if the Grand Canyon is of strong local interest, or to add to a collection in need of easy to read geography picture books.

– School Library Journal, July 2015

The Grand Canyon? That nearly 2 billion-year-old, 277-mile-long, and 1-mile-deep "crevice" in northern Arizona? Never heard of it? Well, grab a hat and backpack and follow an intrepid young hiker as she takes readers from the rim to the canyon floor while pointing out sights in sprightly, two-line rhymes. "The clouds come up, the wind blows in / the shadows fall upon hot skin." Wolff's linoleum-block prints colored in gouache meticulously detail native plants and wildlife amid the landscape. Warm tans, oranges, and yellows bring the magnificent canyon to life along with Scanlon's collegial, nature-guide commentary....Striking endpapers feature a double-page spread of popular canyon landmarks with a tagged California condor soaring in the foreground. The author's note and fact-filled glossary keep the story from bogging down while providing relevant historical and scientific information. Internet URLs are included for the National Park Service, Grand Canyon Association, and National Geographic. Nature lovers of all ages will welcome the easy accessibility of this Grand Canyon tribute.

– Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2015

This book will appeal to teachers and young readers who are interested in nature’s beauty. Scanlon takes readers on a poetic walk through the Grand Canyon, describing native canyon animals, their homes, and hidey holes. Bold illustrations create the stunning atmosphere of this amazing Southwestern treasure. Students studying animals will appreciate the accurate depictions of native fauna. An author’s note is included. A map gives the reader a bird’s eye view of the canyon trail, and details points of interest along the way. Curriculum connections abound: poetry, geography, and treasures of the United States. Young students, teachers, and librarians will appreciate the detail of animals, native plants, and the canyon; the poetry will help students remember what they have read. Glossary. Websites. RuieChehak, Educational Reviewer, Cedar Rapids Community School District (Iowa) andCharlotte County (Florida) Public Schools [Editor’s Note: Available in e-bookformat.]

Recommended

– School Library Connection, February 2016

Rhyming text introduces a young girl on her way to the adventure of a lifetime: a hike to the bottom of the

Grand Canyon. Black linoleum block prints colored with gouache illustrate each double-page spread, and

bold browns, yellows, and deep reds capture the canyon environment, as well as the people and mules

hiking on the long trek downward. As the girl descends deeper and deeper into the gorge, she finds a

squirrel in a hidey-hole and a speckled lizard, and at trail’s end, she sits by the moonlit river. The story and

glorious illustrations celebrate the ever-changing beauty of one of our national wonders; back matter

contains a glossary with an explanation of some of the animals, and a brief history of the Grand Canyon’s

formation, while endpapers show a map of the hikers’ route. Excellent for sharing with groups and

families, and an inspiring introduction to this miraculous, wild place.

– Booklist Online, December 3, 2015