Marisa and the Mountains - by George M Johnson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Marisa lives in the mountains--and she does not like them. Although they are fun to bike or toboggan down, they are such a pain to climb back up. They cast long shadows, and swallow the sun in the evening before playing time is done. So, when it's time to visit her cousin in the flat prairies, Marisa can't wait. She won't miss the mountains--not even a little. But is she sure...?

From the Back Cover

As Marisa and her family drive from their mountain home to visit family in Saskatchewan, the mountains get smaller, smaller, smaller. And then they disappear. At first Marisa is glad to leave the steep mountains for flat wheat fields that shimmer in the sun and ripple in the breeze. Will she fall in love with the prairies, or realize that each place is special in its own irreplaceable way?

Review Quotes

Praise for Marisa and the Mountains:

"Recommended. The illustrations are excellent, drawn with innocence and an almost child-like quality, and truly show an understanding and appreciation of these contrasting landscapes. Detailed colour pencil with subtle watercolour shading on a muted palette of blue-green hues encapsulate mountain living. When the heroine travels to the Prairies, the overall colour tone changes distinctively to bright yellows that contrast sharply and effectively with the moody blues of a thunderstorm and bright blue skies with delicate wisps of cloud." -- CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"This is a sweet and simple story of acceptance and adjustment. There's an old saying, that those things we know all too well press us the hardest. Marisa knew well the joys and the limitations of the mountains. She longed for new spaces and new places. Opportunity granted her desire to be free from them, for a time. And, in that opportunity, she came to peace with them. I loved the author's captivating descriptions of the mountains and the sweetness of coming to terms with our surroundings. (Ages 4-8)" -- MBR: Children's Bookwatch, Darleen Wohlfeil