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Rating: 
Summary: Exciting new book, detailed and gripping
Review: CLIFF HANGER is yet another remarkable picture book from the creative team of Jean Craighead George and Wendell Minor. Ms. George is a naturalist and Newbery Medal-winning author who has been captivating children with her 80+ nature stories, like JULIE OF THE WOLVES and MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, for the past 54 years. Mr. Minor is a one-of-a-kind artist who has created the covers for more than 2,000 works ranging from many different genres, and has illustrated many captivating picture books about animals and the wilderness. The two have collaborated on a number of books, including EVERGLADES, a beautiful story about conserving an important environment, ARCTIC SON, about a young boy's life on the tundra near Barrow, Alaska, and MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT, describing the daily activities of wildlife extending from the East Coast to the West. Each book is written with a lyrical, absorbing text, with outstanding watercolor paintings depicting the words. CLIFF HANGER is the first in a series of adventure books for young readers (supposedly the age range is from 5-9, but I think this distinguished story would be appropriate for any age). In it, we are drawn into a world of rocky cliffs, majestic peaks and dramatic skies--the Teton Mountains of Wyoming. A storm is drawing near, filling the sky with ominous clouds, fierce lightning, and deep thunder. A boy, Axel, is upset to learn that his dog, Grits, is at the top of Cathedral Wall, a towering rock in the middle of the bad storm. Determined to rescue him before it's too late, Axel and his father hurry over to the huge cliff with their rock-climbing gear. Bravely Axel starts up the sheer, treacherous cliff. Will he make it to the top and be able to save Grits in time? The peril of Axel's climb and his descent are wonderfully captured by Mr. Minor's artwork. You feel like you're climbing alongside Axel with the elements raging around you, and as you head down to firm ground again, you fly through the air, the red walls of the cliff all around you. This vivid depiction comes from the author's and illustrator's observations of Ms. George's family, the adventurous Craigheads, rock-climbing in Wyoming. Unlike the other George/Minor books, the emphasis in CLIFF HANGER is not placed so strongly on conservation and wildlife, but more on a realistic adventure; however, a few traditional themes, like the exploration of an exciting new habitat (such as that found in their SNOW BEAR) or the special relationship between a kid and his canine friend (as you would find in another of Ms. George's picture books, NUTIK, THE WOLF PUP) are evident throughout the story. All in all, CLIFF HANGER is a great read, a fresh new entry into the picture book world, and I eagerly look forward to the publication of the rest of the series.
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