I Promise I'll Find You

Ethel King-Shaw is a professor emeritus of curriculum and instruction at
the University of Calgary.

Parents and children alike share the fear of being separated. With all
the current media attention on separation incidents, this book of 11
short poems provides reassurance for the young child. Implicit
throughout the book is the idea that a responsible person would go to
the ends of the earth to locate his or her missing loved one.

In each poem, it is assumed that a child is lost and the caring adult
searches for him or her using different means of transportation:
rowboat, airplane, train, horse, racing car, rocket ship, submarine,
balloon, motorbike, or walking. These various modes of travel make it
possible to search in many locations in faraway places. The poems are
simple, and while they are not of the highest literary quality, each one
follows similar rhythm and rhyming patterns.

Vivid colors and strong lines make for dramatic and imaginative
illustrations. The speed of each search is suggested by the fast, bold
action in the pictures. Recommended.