Quest by Aaron Becker is a wordless tale. The illustrations guide you through the journey of two children, equipped with their color pieces of red and purple, who find a door under a bridge. As it begins to rain, a king opens that door to silently show the children some type of map. He hands the children the map just before he is captured by men. He throws his orange piece as the doors close. The children use the colors to draw keys and open the doors. They find a land that is dark and gray. They see the king and the men holding him captive. The children use the map to follow the land. They use their colors to draw objects to assist them. As their quest continues, they are also finding new colors. Eventually, these colors begin to form a rainbow. This rainbow arches over the land of dark and gray, shining beautifully on everything below it. The rainbow color rays overcome the men holding the king. The king is free! He takes his orange and draws each child a crown. They return home to find a rainbow as they appear from under the bridge.
Although there are no words or reading involved in this book, it requires attention to detail and a great comprehension. One missed part of the illustration might confuse your understanding. Eyes need to be wide open while "reading" it.
As last week's book was about Rock, Paper, and Scissors taking a journey to find worthy opponents, this book is also about a journey (or quest) to a new land. Journeys can led to new, exciting, and educational places! Interestingly, Aaron Becker has another wordless book called
Journey and it is a Caldecott Honor Book.
