9 KILOMETERS

A long walk to school.

A brown-skinned child walks 9 kilometers—more than 5 miles—every day to go to school through challenging and uncharted paths in Chile. The child leaves home when it’s still dark, passing beneath wire fences, walking by wooded areas that conceal wild felines, and even traversing rivers. Although the narrator’s difficulties are many, they maintain a positive attitude and are grateful that they and their classmates can attend school, regardless of how they get there. The child’s teacher once said that it takes 1,600 steps to walk a kilometer; 9 kilometers would be 15,000 steps. The child wonders if that’s right, considering their shortcuts and leaps as well as the fact that their legs are short. Both matter-of-fact and full of musings, this Chilean import, translated from Spanish, perfectly captures a child’s experience. The painterly art relies on hues that are by turns somber and more vibrant and on many aerial shots, which make the native Chilean birds part of the story, like spectators awaiting the narrator’s arrival at school. The meticulous attention to detail in the illustrations—for instance, in the portrayal of animals—makes for an immersive experience. Backmatter describes the stories of other children around the world who walk similar paths and identifies the birds found in the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A brilliantly illustrated account of an arduous—yet deeply rewarding—journey.