Lily’s Mysterious Odyssey by Anne Lacourrege, illustrated by Joshua Wichterich, follows a young girl named Lily through her dreaming nautical adventure.
Homes hold onto the history of their families. With only herself to play with in her family’s old house, Lily comes across a hidden chest of antique keepsakes, unaffected by generations of storms and floods across the New Orleans coastal area. Lily and her parents soon find even more items hidden away that paint the history of 1800s sailor Captain Harry and his family.
That night, Lily dreams of Captain Harry’s daughter, Anne, who invites Lily to see her father’s ship. Lily’s mysterious odyssey truly begins as the ship sets sail with Lily still on board. She soon finds herself on an journey to Greece, where she learns about Greek culture and its similarities to her home when a Mediterranean cyclone hits.
Joshua Wichterich’s watercolor illustrations, especially the beautiful landscapes of Greece, add an enchanting and lively feel to the story.
His artistic style has a nostalgic quality to it that will appeal to older siblings and parents of young readers as well as the young readers too.
Anne Lacourrege’s literary voyage encourages readers both to dive into the history of their own surroundings and learn about other cultures.
Embracing the differences and similarities between ourselves and others builds compassion and is an important lesson for children. Readers will grow curious about what life was like a few hundred years ago, and what it’s like in other parts of the world.
Anne Lacourrege ends Lily’s Mysterious Odyssey, “One never knows what stories lie in the heart of old homes if the wall could actually talk,” leaving readers with an invitation to seek out the stories that are all around us.
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