Oregon'S Journey - Pbk (Trade) [Paperback]

Rascal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Oregon, the circus bear, enlists the help of a dwarf named Duke to find his way home to the big forest from Pittsburgh. By the creators of Escales.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a poignant variation on the classic American road story, Rascal and Joos, both Belgians, spring two performers from the circus and send them cross-country, from Pittsburgh to the Pacific Northwest. Duke, a clown, responds to pleas from the bicycle-riding bear Oregon to "take me to the big forest"; Duke knows that Oregon belongs with other bears and he has hopes of his own: "Perhaps there, I, a dwarf, might meet Snow White." Their trek involves stowing away on a freight train, hitching a ride on a 10-wheeler and spending a night in an abandoned Chevrolet. In arresting, free-flowing illustrations, Joos, first-place winner of the 1993 Bologna Book Fair prize for graphic design, allows his creations to blend and blur across each page. Half-formed figures fade into the background; ghostly shadows evaporate. A halo of neon hair glows above Duke's head; charcoal scribblings in ashy gray and inky black convey Oregon's state of constant motion. Throughout, the simple, subtle story touches on the difficulties of being different, the importance of friendship and the search for home. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-A clown named Duke and Oregon, a performing bear, leave the circus in order to find a more suitable home for the animal. They travel westward by bus, car, foot, and train, until finally they reach some beautiful woods in the state of Oregon. The animal has found his home and forgets his years of captivity, and Duke wanders off, happy to have helped his friend. Duke tells his story in a serious and straightforward manner. Humorous moments, such as when the bear depletes Duke's savings by eating 300 hamburgers, are mild and neatly understated. The journey proves to be liberating for the man as well; in the final scene he discards his clown nose at last. Joos's vivid illustrations inject a dreamy atmosphere into the simple tale. As the pair pass factory towns and roam through wheat fields, readers get vivid glimpses of American landscapes. Text and pictures fairly successfully convey the mood of this cross-country trek by two friends, but the melancholy expressions on the characters' faces at times belie the enjoyment suggested in parts of the narrative. The subtle simplicity of the plot should result in a small, but appreciative audience.
Steven Engelfried, West Lynn Library, OR
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Troll Communications (October 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816733066
• ISBN-13: 978-0816733064
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,071,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Parents Choice Award book, 1994., December 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Oregon's Journey (Hardcover)

Spectcular text language, heartfelt, and friendship at its finest! The illustrations are beautiful. Duke and Oregon will steal your heart if the illustrations don't do it first! A teacher from Michigan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a children's story, March 21, 2010

By 

mommydesigns (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oregon'S Journey - Pbk (Trade) (Paperback)

I have two kids; I must have read this book a million and one times. It is by far my favorite kids book of all time. The more times I read it the deeper the meaning appears to be. My interpretation of the story is that it is a parallel to the human search for truth and the steps to finding it. Or maybe it is just that I am finding truth in my life and by coincidence, Rascal hints at some of the steps I needed.

The give away for me was the last line, "I walked into the white morning, light at heart and happy."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic and lovely -- one of my favorite children's books!, September 2, 2005

By 

Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oregon'S Journey - Pbk (Trade) (Paperback)

Duke, a clown, realizes that his friend Oregon the bear needs to be free and so they set off on a roadtrip across America to the forested mountain regions of Oregon. Books as beautiful and evocative as this one are rare. The story is told simply, with an economy of style and capturing a wide range of nuance with very few words. It is a story of captivity and freedom, of prejudice and longing, a story of America and its diversity, both geographical and cultural. All of these messages come across in a story told to be delightful to children and poignant for their parents.

The pictures complement the story perfectly. One of my favorite pictures (it is hard to pick) depicts Duke sitting on a motel bed while Oregon is surrounded with cheeseburgers -- many of them merely sketched to suggest the passage of time (and the consumption of burgers).