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From Horn Book

January 1, 2015
The kids from Journey follow an old man--who's seized by soldiers after giving them an orange crayon and a map--back into that book's fantastical land. They follow the map along various quests to collect different-colored crayons and save the old man. Becker's illustrations are satisfyingly lush and full of subtle clues that will reward multiple readings.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Horn Book

September 1, 2014
Journey (rev. 9/13) introduced a girl with a magic red crayon who could draw her way into an adventure and back home. At the end of the book she met a boy with his own purple crayon. Quest--the second in a planned wordless trilogy--opens where we last saw the friends, in a present-day city. While sheltering under a bridge during the rain, they are surprised by the arrival of an old man who gives them an orange crayon, a colorful map, and a holster with six small chambers. After the man is seized by soldiers, the children follow them into the same land we saw in Journey. Reading their map, the kids go on various quests (each lasting two or three spreads) to collect different-color crayons that fit neatly into the holster. Along the way they use their own purple and red crayons to draw objects that help them escape baddies in steampunk dirigibles. They make their way back to the Journey city and save the old man with their now-full holster, creating a magic rainbow. Becker's illustrations are satisfyingly lush and full of subtle clues that will reward multiple readings. Compared to Journey's simple yet mysterious story line, however, Quest seems overly complicated and, after the first reading, predictable--particularly for those familiar with the Myst computer games. Nevertheless, fans of the first book will probably be happy to explore this fantastical world in more depth. lolly robinson

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Kirkus

Starred review from July 1, 2014
On the coattails of Journey (2013), Becker gleefully expands and details his award-winning fantasyland, growing even more ambitious with his storytelling.When readers last saw the boy and girl protagonists, they were sharing a tandem bike; this adventure opens with the children sheltering from raindrops under a bridge, the bike propped up against the wall. Suddenly, a desperate king bursts through a door set into the base of the bridge. He charges the two young heroes with collecting the six magic crayons that will defeat his realm's enemy once and for all. Supplied with a map indicating where the crayons are hidden, the kids find each one (the girl stores them in a crayon bandolier), leading to a showdown with the bad guy that ends with a brilliant, rainbow-hued win for the forces of good. Harold-like, the children use the crayons to draw themselves out of scrapes along the way. Broadening his palette, Becker fills his book with myriad colorful details that will reward sharp-eyed fans. At the same time, his ink and watercolors evoke different kinds of architectural wonders (everything from Atlantis to Chichen Itza). Part Indiana Jones, part Avatar: The Last Airbender, this book proves to be more exciting than its Caldecott Honor predecessor, emphasizing adventure over evocative metaphor.Breathtaking in scope, consider this a wordless testament to the power of not just imagination, but art itself; picture books rarely feel this epic. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from July 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-Becker places the boy, girl, and violet bird from Journey (Candlewick, 2013)-the first title of his wordless trilogy-into the gray watercolor and ink landscape of the second. Each child has a magical marker. As they take refuge from the rain under a bridge, the background skyscrapers recede and the fanciful sculptures of a winged gladiator and mermaid foreshadow coming adventures. Upon receiving a color-coded map from a king in custody, the kids sketch keys and enter the familiar realm from the previous title, where golden, Islamic domes mingle with medieval fortresses. This time, however, turrets blaze and enemy soldiers occupy the land. The quest takes the protagonists to an underwater Greco-Roman temple, through Mayan ruins and near a Buddha-like sculpture; four newly mined markers slip into a special belt that, when lifted up by the bird, creates a rainbow whose brilliance temporarily blinds their pursuers until order is restored. The arc also connects the children to their world upon reentry. Becker creates a visual narrative that is clear enough for children to decipher but complex enough to reward multiple readings. Much of the interest comes from his ability to successfully blend architectural styles from a variety of cultures and time periods, the type of exotic settings that children associate with potential danger and requisite cleverness and courage. He clearly understands (and perhaps wants to suggest) that loneliness, boredom, or rainy days can trigger rich, imaginative play. Creative problem solving is at the heart of this genial book.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

Starred review from July 1, 2014
Grades 1-3 *Starred Review* Becker continues the loving and gorgeous homage to imagination he began in Journey (2013) with this direct sequel. No sooner has our intrepid female protagonist returned home along with her purple-crayon-wielding friend than adventure taps her on the shoulder again, this time literally. An orange-tinted king, pursued by enemy knights, hands over a precious map that reveals locations for a rainbow of drawing implements that match the power of the girl's own red crayon. The two kids cross over once again, and this time Becker expands his world from the complex castle-city of the previous volume to include vast double-page spreads of underwater ruins, dense jungles, precarious towers, and frosted mountaintops. Always, quick thinking and imagination supersede combat as the kids use both to evade the pursuing army and return rainbow-hued order to the kingdom. In addition to the winning adventure of the silent story, Becker manages to evolve his imagery with more sophisticated designs and ideas that draw readers into the narrative ever more deeply, proving once again that lush details, a meticulous sense of motion and action, and a boundless love of fun are worth all the words in the world. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: New York Times best-selling Becker won wide acclaim for Journey, including a Caldecott Honor. His many fans will be eager for the follow-up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from May 19, 2014
In the Caldecott Honor–winning Journey, much of Becker’s energy was devoted to the story’s exquisite backdrops. Now,
in the second wordless book of his planned trilogy, the focus is on his characters. On a rainy day in a city park, the girl who starred in Journey and the boy
introduced at the end take refuge by a doorway under a bridge. To their surprise, a king emerges from the door just long enough to pass the two a map before soldiers apprehend him. Returning to the magical Pallonezia, they find the walled city in flames, under siege. Becker includes wonderfully evocative set pieces—a submerged city, a Mayan temple—as the pair follows the map to collect chalk markers in all the colors of the rainbow to free the king and save the city. As before, hearts will beat faster during cliff-hanging moments in which the children must draw their way out of danger. While the artwork is a bit rougher, the strong visual narrative and inventive action sequences offer even more to savor. It’s another step forward in an already noteworthy career. Ages 4–8. Agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt.

From Kirkus

On the coattails of Journey (2013), Becker gleefully expands and details his award-winning fantasyland, growing even more ambitious with his storytelling.When readers last saw the boy and girl protagonists, they were sharing a tandem bike; this adventure opens with the children sheltering from raindrops under a bridge, the bike propped up against the wall. Suddenly, a desperate king bursts through a door set into the base of the bridge. He charges the two young heroes with collecting the six magic crayons that will defeat his realm's enemy once and for all. Supplied with a map indicating where the crayons are hidden, the kids find each one (the girl stores them in a crayon bandolier), leading to a showdown with the bad guy that ends with a brilliant, rainbow-hued win for the forces of good. Harold-like, the children use the crayons to draw themselves out of scrapes along the way. Broadening his palette, Becker fills his book with myriad colorful details that will reward sharp-eyed fans. At the same time, his ink and watercolors evoke different kinds of architectural wonders (everything from Atlantis to Chichen Itza). Part Indiana Jones, part Avatar: The Last Airbender, this book proves to be more exciting than its Caldecott Honor predecessor, emphasizing adventure over evocative metaphor.Breathtaking in scope, consider this a wordless testament to the power of not just imagination, but art itself; picture books rarely feel this epic. (Picture book. 4-8) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.