Finding Wild

K-Gr 2—Inspiring children to claim the "wild" where they can find it, this notable debut is a paean to the beauty, fun, and relevance of the natural world. Emerging from the subway, two children travel through fields, forests, mountains, and meadows, exploring the many pleasures to be found outdoors. Evocative language encourages the use of all five senses when journeying through the landscape. "Wild is full of smells—fresh mint, ancient cave, sun-baked desert, sharp pine, salt sea. Every scent begging you to drink it in." City dwellers are emboldened to seek out and investigate nature hiding amid the buildings and streets, as the children return home and discover an urban oasis. Multitextured digitally finished watercolor and pencil illustrations portray the varieties of nature, from a tiny sprout and shiny spiderweb to a lakeside trail and a pack of baying wolves. Colorful spreads provide space to feel the grandeur of the environment.