Cover Image: The Boy and the Mountain

The Boy and the Mountain

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is a delightful picture book about art and walking, nature and animals, friendship and looking a little more deeply. The illustrations are deceptively simple, it's colourful and cheery, and you want to turn back to the beginning as soon as you reach the final page! Aimed at the under fives, but their parents and grandparents will love it too!

A little boy loves drawing and decides to create a picture of the mountain he sees from his bedroom window.

He can't capture all that the mountain means to him though, so he decides to take a closer look. Walking along the path with his dog, he meets a goat and a bear and birds. He continues on through a wood and, in the trees, he loses sight of the mountain. Then before he realises, he's reached the peak.

At the top of the mountain he knows what it is he needs to draw.

This is a story which is fun and charming and which presents the importance of friendship and perspective in changing the way we look at things. It's a book which has long stayed in my memory.

Was this review helpful?

Cute story about a boy who loves art and hiking. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful. Really enjoyed it!

Was this review helpful?

This book combines elements we don't often see in a picture book: hiking, perspective changes, and persistence in art. We are presented with a character who wants to show the majesty of the mountain. Each piece he attempts captures a part of the experience but not the whole thing. He doesn't get frustrated or give up. He doesn't criticize his abilities. He changes perspectives and tries again. While the messaging may be too deep for very young children, it's charming and visually appealing. Older kids may engage with the ideas about perspectives and the parts of a whole and may be encouraged to create their own art based on an element of a larger view.

Was this review helpful?

An adorable book I think kids will love! The illustrations are super cute and the story is engaging.

Was this review helpful?

Quiet, cute story about a little boy who is trying to draw the mountain he can see from home. Each time he draws it, he feels it's not quite right, but can't figure out what's missing. Finally, he decides to go to the subject to see if he can figure out what the missing thing is. He sets off with his dog, and along the way, he meets and sketches a goat and some birds, and draws a stream and some leaves he comes across. As he travels up the mountain, he is joined by some other curious animals, and while he still hasn't captured that missing something in his drawing, he has a lot of fun with his new friends. That night before bed, he draws a picture of the mountain again, this time including himself and his friends in the picture. Finally, he has captured the missing thing - the mountain's spirit, its essence, what it means to him. There are many meanings that can be applied to the story; the value of friendship, of experiencing nature, that art doesn't have to be only about what you see, etc, giving plenty of room for interpretation. The deceptively simple illustrations convey a lot, and they're awfully cute! A fun story for little ones!

#NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Cute picture book we enjoyed it and definitely are looking forward to more in the future like this! Zoey is really enjoying reading more and more

Was this review helpful?

A simple lesson in looking past the whole picture to see what it is made up of is easily readable to others and by ESL.
Marianna Coppo fills the pages with simple, colorful, creative illustrations which add even more love and meaning to this book.
Translated by Debbie Bibo
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Was this review helpful?

A little boy wanted to draw a mountain, and decided to take a closer look to make his drawing of it more accurate. On the way, he meets new animal friends and learns how many wonderful things the mountain contains.
A children’s picture book about perspective and the elusiveness of trying to capture the beauty of nature.
I received this book in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. All opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of the publisher or its affiliates or the author.

Was this review helpful?

A boy loves the nearby mountain, but always feels that something is missing. His artistic attempts end in frustration until he decides to get a closer look. A much closer look, by hiking up the mountain!

While he hikes, the boy notices interesting things (and doesn't notice others--the funny part) but it isn't until he reaches the top, that he realizes what was missing.

I liked the illustrations of the animals, etc., (very cute), but the boy didn't appeal to me.

This could become a favorite bedtime story, or inspiration for creative writing or nature studies.

4/5 Stars


Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Tundra Books, and NetGalley for the preview of this galley; the review is voluntary.

#TheBoyandtheMountain
#MarioBellini MarioBelliniAuth
#MariannaCoppo #MariannaCoppoIllust
#Tundra Books #NetGalley
#PenguinRandomHouseCanada
#ChildrensFictionHumor
#ChildrensArtFiction
#ChildrensFriendshipBooks
#ChildrensLiteratureBooks
#ChildrensFictionAnimals
#ChildrensFictionBedtimeStory
#ChildrensFictionNature
#ChildrensFictionCreativeWritingInspiration

Was this review helpful?

A little boy is fascinated by the mountain he can see in the distance from his home. He tries several times to draw it, but despite all his attempts, the drawing never quite comes out right. He finally decides to go on an adventure to the mountain and, along the way, finds out what's been missing from his drawings.

This is a gentle, sweet tale about friendship and what makes things precious to us. The message is very subtle, so this would probably be best as a one-on-one read with an adult reading partner who can ask questions to guide young readers to the main idea of the story. The art is appealing and full of fun little details to discover. It also lends itself naturally to having kids try to make their own versions of the drawings. This would be a nice quiet time read for pre-K and early elementary children.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Was this review helpful?

I received a copy of The Boy and the Mountain by Mario Bellini and Marianna Coppo from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

A cute picture book of a young boy who is trying to draw the mountain outside his home but never getting it quite right. To discover what he may be missing, he sets off on an adventure and discovers so many elements and friends that are a part of the mountain. It's a story that will inspire a love for exploring and discovering that nature cannot just be documented down onto a page but be lived and experienced.

Was this review helpful?

A wonderful heartwarming story of friendship, bravery and big problems. With beautiful illustrations and a great barrette, young children will enjoy this compelling read.

Was this review helpful?

A cute story about a boy trying to capture the essence of a mountain. It involves him having to take a closer look by hiking up it. He ends up meeting new friends along the way. Overall, a nice read, but it just felt like it was missing something. I didn't feel fully satisfied when reaching the end of the book.

Was this review helpful?

Wanting to draw the mountain he see, the boy is dissatisfied with the results and sets out to see the mountain close up. Along the way he finds more and more details and new things like animal friends to draw. This is a nice introduction to discovering that the small things around us are as important as the big things.

Was this review helpful?

Mario Bellini and Marianna Coppo have created a lovely story in 'The Boy and the Mountain'. Subtle yet colorful illustrations take readers along as the boy in the story experiences his favorite mountain first hand. This is a sweet and simple book combining two interests that many young readers enjoy: exploring outdoors and drawing pictures. The boy gently demonstrates perseverance to get his drawings just the way he hopes, discovers even more than he planned on with the finer details of his journey, and makes some new friends along the way. A very pleasant read!

Was this review helpful?

The illustrations are simple but bright and cute. The story was easy to comprehend as we follow a child, their imagination, and journey to a nearby mountain. The vocabulary used is great for beginning readers! A perfect first adventure story.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to the folks at Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
Wow, this book caught me off guard! I thought the story was going in one direction but author Mario Bellini veered into a tangent I was not expecting! Good for Mario. This is a story of a young boy who sees a mountain and wants to make a painting of it. He is not satisfied with his efforts and so he takes a closer look and draws new paintings. Still not satisfied he decides to get real closeup and explores to find even more details. Along the way he finds new subjects to paint and is followed by a lot of animal friends. He finds more details on the mountain but when he returns home his friends say goodbye and he creates a new painting of the mountain, one that absolutely surprised me but which made the young boy very happy. Good story, the swerve was interesting and I like the fact that the young boy was painting, something you do not often see in children's books. Easy book for parents and first readers to enjoy, and which has simple yet effective illustrations. Really enjoyed this.

Was this review helpful?

There is always room and time for an adventure book! I love this sweet little story about a boy and his imagination, his appreciation for the things that surround him, and the mountain that is near his home. The artwork is beautiful and helps to promote the idea that changing your perspective sometimes opens a door to a whole other world. Wonderful color palette and format of illustration/text.

Perfect for a new baby gift or any child through lower elementary I would say!

Was this review helpful?

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 stars

This story is the tale of a little boy who lives near a mountain, and loves that mountain. He’s also a budding artist who draws the mountain. But no matter how many times he draws it, he can’t seem to get it right. So he fills a backpack and sets off to hike up the mountain for a closer look.

My little reviewer (age 5) gave this story 3 stars, saying that she thought it was pretty, but not very funny. She’s a tough critic. The illustrations in the book are beautiful, as one would expect for a tale about a little artist. So beautiful, that I would happily have prints made and hang them on my kiddo’s walls. And while the story is cute, it doesn’t flow as well as I would like. It meanders up the mountain slowly, but then rushes back down for dinner, much like the little boy. While I’m more generous than my little reviewer, I’d give this story 4 stars for the beautiful illustrations and cute story, but not more.

I was provided an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks to the publisher and the author for providing it to me.

Was this review helpful?

The Boy and the Mountain is a beautifully illustrated book that shows readers the importance of looking for the small details. I think this would be a fantastic book before a nature walk, inspiring students to look for small details to draw and perhaps write about. The illustrations are simple but impactful.

Was this review helpful?