Angela’s Glacier
by Jordan Scott; illus. by Diana Sudyka
Primary    Porter/Holiday    32 pp.
1/24    9780823450824    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780823457588    $11.99

The day Angela is born, the glacier Snæfellsjökull (a real Icelandic landmark) appears from behind a cloudy cover. Later, her father helps her learn the glacier’s name as they hike to the peak: “Snæ (left foot) fells (right foot) jö (left foot) kull (right foot).” Angela looks at, listens to, and speaks to the glacier, and bares her hands to feel its icy surface as she shares her emotions (fears such as falling off her bike; missing her dad when he’s at work). Sudyka’s contrasting, often translucent watercolors balance the cool swaths of blues and greens across the face of the glacier with lines etched across its frozen surface. Over time, Angela’s days fill up with “school, friends, violin, soccer, bike rides, homework.” But something isn’t quite right, and her father asks if she’s been to Snæfellsjökull lately. Scott’s narrative uncovers the healing, centering power of nature and reciprocity of care between humankind and the natural world. Though the story does not outwardly call for environmental conservation, a note from interdisciplinary artist-researcher Angela Rawlings (Scott’s friend and the book’s inspiration) discusses the detrimental impact of climate change on Snæfellsjökull.

From the January/February 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.