Big Sky Mountain

Big Sky Mountain plunges its young protagonist Rosa into a wild world, miles from other humans, except for her doughty Grandma Nan, apparently based on Alex Milway’s own grandmother. We know we’re in for free-wheeling adventures when Rosa is dropped off by bi-plane at Grandma Nan’s log cabin and very soon the two are going for their first hike into the forest, though by then Rosa has connected with local wildlife to such an extent that she’s having chats with a moose, Albert, and soon befriends a beaver couple. The mix of outdoor adventure and talking-animals magic works well, the latter providing a sense of security for readers who can be sure Rosa won’t come to harm with her wild neighbours looking out for her, and making the wide, open spaces friendlier all round. It underlines too the theme of the book, which is that, animal or human, we share one planet and that we need to live in harmony if we want to survive. There’s a great deal of humour in the book but Milway successfully brings a sense of exhilaration at the beauty of the natural world too, and realises his ambition to pen ‘a love letter to nature’. His two colour illustrations add to the charm and make the reading experience even more fun.