Oregon's Journey

by Louis Joos, Louis Joos Rascal, Rascal

Book Overview

When the circus bear, Oregon, decides that he wants to go home to the big forest, he enlists the help of a dwarf named Duke. With very little money and no luggage at all, the two set out into the night. A beautifully illustrated cross-country odyssey that vividly portrays the meaning of friendship. Full color.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816733058
• ISBN13: 9780816733057
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Troll Communications
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.4" x 12.3"
• Age Range: 5 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 4

Customer Reviews

Poetic and lovely -- one of my favorite children's books!

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).

A Parents Choice Award book, 1994.

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.