The Great Expedition

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.