Where's Rodney? - by Carmen Bogan

About the Book

Rodney is that kid who, when he's inside, wants to be outside. After Rodney finally gets a chance to go to a park, with plenty of room to run and climb and shout and to just be, he'll never be the same. This is a story of the power of nature to transform every child. Full color.

Book Synopsis

A Black boy's transformative day out in nature, recommended by Social Justice Books and We Are Kid Lit Collective

Rodney is that kid who just can't sit still. He's inside, but he wants to be outside. Outside is where Rodney always wants to be. Between school and home, there is a park. He knows all about that park. It's that triangle-shaped place with the yellow grass and two benches where grown-ups sit around all day. Besides, his momma said to stay away from that park. When Rodney finally gets a chance to go to a real park, with plenty of room to run and climb and shout, and to just be himself, he will never be the same.

Review Quotes

A Junior Library Guild Selection, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book, and a CCBC Children's Choice!
From Booklist (starred review): Always more interested in what's happening outside the school walls than in his classroom, Rodney has a reputation for goofing off. He's not impressed to hear that the word of the week is "majestic . . . grand and beautiful," or that his class will be visiting a park on Friday. . . . At their destination (perhaps a national park), he runs fast, climbs rocks slowly, calls loudly, watches quietly, and feels "more outside than he had ever been before." On the ride home, he's uncharacteristically still and silent--except for calling the park "majestic." The well-phrased text shifts gears effectively in the field trip scenes, where brief, paired sentences focus tightly on Rodney's experiences and let the illustrations work their magic. In a series of softly lit, beautifully shaded paintings, Cooper depicts Rodney as a likable black kid whose active curiosity and high energy find liberation in the park. Rodney's teacher, Momma, his multicultural class, and his transcendent encounter with the natural world are subtly, expressively portrayed. A heartwarming picture book. --Carolyn Phelan, June 1, 2017
From Kirkus (starred review): Combining the amazement offered by the natural world with an unconventional and poignant dose of social commentary, this story gives more to its readers than what meets the eye.
From San Francisco Chronicle, July 30, 2017: Here, an Oakland author writes with clear purpose about the transformative power of nature. . . where Rodney comes to understand what "majestic" really does mean. . . . Dusky, soft-focused paintings chronicle his journey of discovery (and self-discovery) with a final note that encourages kids to get out on their own or through nonprofits that promote environmental education.
From Midwest Book Review: Extraordinary, entertaining, and original, "Where's Rodney?" is very highly recommended for children ages 4 to 8, and will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections.
From School Library Journal: PreS-Gr 2. The small boy's world is greatly enlarged by his unexpected joyful experience. Readers are left to hope that this is just the first of many eye-opening, and perhaps life-changing, adventures for the boy. VERDICT A lovely book to share one-on-one or with a class preparing for an outing. --Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI (c) Copyright 2017.
CCBC Book of the Week, July 10, 2017: Rodney, a Black child in a diverse, contemporary classroom, is experiencing nature on a scale both grand and intimate at the center of this buoyant yet contemplative picture book with illustrations that reflect both the changing physical landscape and emotional range of the story as Rodney discovers that "outdoors" can not only be "majestic," but peaceful, too. (c)2017 Cooperative Children's Book Center
From Publishers Weekly: In hazy scenes that glow with warmth, Cooper (Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History) pays homage to the dramatic landscape of the unnamed park, but the focus of his images and Bogan's understated writing is on Rodney, and how he finally has the freedom to investigate nature intimately and on his own terms. It's a stirring reminder of the importance of access to nature, and how rare that access is for many children. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)
From Foreword Reviews: Rodney simply cannot pay attention to his teacher while an open window beckons him to go outside, in Carmen Bogan's Where's Rodney? A city boy unused to the great outdoors, Rodney is awed and enchanted when a field trip takes him to a majestic park where he can finally be free to explore the wonders of nature, honored through beautifully depicted scenery and expressive portraiture from Floyd Cooper, all in soothing and dreamy textured earth tones.