![]() ![]() ![]() Using multiple photo references, the artist started the illustrations with rough black-and-white hand-drawn sketches that enabled him ‘to figure out the story and the different beats’. For instance the large detached house and big car on the title page suggest it is comfortably middle class, while objects within the home, particularly in the child’s bedroom, indicate a liking for outdoor pursuits, animals and nature. Throughout the book there are clues as to what this family is like. The fictional father is clearly a loving parent and the close bond between him and his child is evident in all his actions, from a gentle wake-up call to practical support in difficult situations. ![]() Oswald says he wanted the younger character to have universal accessibility, so the child is deliberately genderless, though the origins of the story are loosely based on the illustrator’s own memories of various father-and-son outings. The story centres around two characters: the father and the child. But the book is also an homage to family life and parental love. Pete Oswald, an American illustrator and animator, describes his wordless picturebook Hike as a ‘love letter to nature’. Hike – Wordless Books Wordless Books Hike (2020) ![]()
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