In this tongue-in-cheek tale, a band of children travel from one house to another, crossing a playground on their supposedly treacherous trek.Before any characters appear, a scroll-like document begins: "On 20th August, a group of young explorers was charged with a dangerous mission. They were to travel across wild country to deliver a valuable parcel." The document notes that two heroes would be recognized by the end of the journey. Every page uses similarly dramatic language as narration, and every page's humor lies in how the artwork-delightful sketches rendered in ink and watercolor-subverts the text. An ordinary-looking parent in a bathrobe handing a beribboned box to a young boy named Robert is in fact the "senior officer" who sends him on the mission. Team leader Robert's exploring party loses members along the way: Biologist Henry succumbs to an insect bite; botanist Ivy is "ambushed" by another "senior officer," who shows up, glaring, with Ivy's ballet slippers; Lily the animal handler and Floyd the dog leave when Floyd gets distracted by a thrown stick. When only two explorers remain, navigator Will tumbles to the ground in the "sandy desert"-a sandbox, of course-and Robert lets him ride on his back until they reach their destination, where more revelation awaits. Children will appreciate this absorbing adventure, which honors the power of imagination as it tickles the funny bone. Most characters are light-skinned; Henry is brown-skinned.A lighthearted hero's journey. (Picture book. 4-8)

Gr 1–2 —Several children and one pet dog set out for a minor adventure across a playground. The title and narration of this picture book invite readers to playfully view the short trek as a grand quest, full of peril and challenges, much like those faced by polar explorers over a century ago. Intentional hyperbole reigns from beginning to end, and the one-joke humor is the disconnect between the grandiose tone of the text and the mundanity of life depicted in the illustrations. Carnavas, known for his sensitive perception and writing, shows a middle class, pink-skinned suburban family for his subject and setting. That and the gendered roles given to the children—boys for entomologist, leader, and navigation, girls for plant-gathering and (clumsy) animal care—limit the scope and usefulness of this adventure. VERDICT Not recommended for school libraries.—Jessica Fenster-Sparber