Classic tales of children getting lost in the woods tends to be scary, tense, and include a moral that shames the reader into doing the right thing based on how the main character is “punished” for their absentmindedness, disobedience, or plain old bad luck. Author Leah Danis has taken this classic conflict and kept it gentle, free-spirited, and whimsical with her picture book, Anjali and Isa Go Somewhere. Below is my review of the book followed by an interview with Danis.
Anjali and Isa Go Somewhere plot summary
Anjali and Isa Go Somewhere opens with the two friends, Anjali and Isa, waking up in their tent to find that they are nowhere. So, they set off to find “somewhere.” Along the way, different talking animals help to point the way. While this interaction is initially surprising and confusing, they soon come to accept it, hoping that, with any luck, they will be led to the somewhere they are looking for.
The story
Anjali and Isa Go Somewhere is a gentle adventure story about purposely getting lost just so you can find somewhere new. It has a real Alice in Wonderland tone to it in terms of the vague journey, the talking animals, and the riddle-like dialogue. At the end, their destination is very ordinary and routine, bringing a magical element to the mundane.
The characters
Anjali and Isa are the only two human characters in the story. Isa is the more tenacious one while Anjali is eagerly along for the ride. While they are surprised by the help they receive from the woodland animals along the way, they take it all in stride and appear to be focused on the journey more than the destination, though they are always moving forward, hoping to eventually reach the end.
The illustrations
The illustrations by Sarah Farquhar are very simple and geometric. They are focused on movement and expression. There are manmade patterns mixed with natural elements that blend the human world with nature. I think it was a brilliant choice to include a mix of wide and tight shots, depending on the text. It gives it both a cinematic and personal feel.
The language and design
The story is a standard picture book with one to a few sentences per page. The vocabulary is a little more advanced for an early reader, but it’s definitely something that a second or third-year reader could handle.
For early and non-readers, the story is short enough to hold their attention and simple enough for them to understand. The vagueness of the destination will create interesting conversations to have after the book is finished. However, I do wish the illustrations at the very least gave away an actual destination and not just another place to hike and camp at the end of the story, even with the cute little exchange at the end which signals what the girls are about to do next.
My recommendation
I recommend Anjali and Isa Go Somewhere to readers looking for a fun summer story. It’s especially intriguing to those who love nature and adventure with whimsical elements rather than anything tense or scary.
The story isn’t burdened with a major conflict. However, I think that it could have used one that was more concrete. I also feel that the repetitiveness of the animal interactions could have been tailored more to each animal and not uniform throughout each interaction. While the similarities in the dialogue is a classic tool used in picture books, I would have liked to have seen the animal helpers take a little different approach to assisting our heroes.
Ultimately, though, it’s a classic getting lost tale that has a gentle, yet surprising ending. It makes you wish you were friends with Anjali and Isa and that you went through life with their cavalier attitude.
My rating
An interview with Leah Danis
How long did it take you to write this book?
This book actually began as a bedtime story I made up on the spot one night for my eldest daughter when she was three. She was going through a months-long phase of asking me to make up stories for her.
I liked this one, so I started to retell it a few times (it’s hard to have new material every night for four months!!). I decided to write the story down. Two years after that is when I started to think about turning the story into a book, and now, three years later, here it is!
How closely did the final product resemble your original draft?
The final product is essentially a more descriptive version of the original draft – more adjectives, adverbs, and extra details, like where each animal leads Anjali and Isa. The wording at the end changed a bit as well. But overall, the essence of my original story stuck.
Do you have any advice for writing a picture book?
Have the book professionally edited! I thoroughly enjoyed the process. My editor felt like my cheerleader and champion, asking the right questions so that I could create a richer story. I never felt like they were trying to change my message or voice. Working with an editor helped me create a better version of the same story.
What was it like working with the illustrator, Sarah Farquhar?
Working with Sarah was easy and quite serendipitous. Our parents had been friends long before she and I came along. I reached out to her about half a year before I intended to start the process of getting my book published in the spring of 2025.
Illustrating a picture book was new for her too, and she was totally interested, so I lucked out! So, after Sarah agreed, I connected with her again in the fall of 2025. I shared the story with her, and we set out our timelines. We did pretty much everything via email, and the odd phone call or video chat.
Did you have any instructions for the illustrations?
I think I was pretty open about the illustrations. I had told Sarah which illustrations from her portfolio that I liked in terms of style. I also had some ideas about colour themes, as well as the non-whiteness of the characters.
Any good surprises?
The BEST surprise was probably the first storyboard Sarah sent me. She sketched out the whole book in black and white after having read the story. I cried tears of joy.
Sarah truly brought my words to life. I could see the whimsy of my words in her illustrations.
How did you decide on the types of animals that stop the two friends on their journey and offer help?
Because this was a story I made up on the spot, I didn’t think too hard about the animals that I was choosing, although I suppose I chose animals that we could realistically see when out and about on a walk through the woods here (southwestern Ontario), as opposed to a tiger, a kangaroo, and a panda.
Did you always plan to have them talk?
Yes! It’s part of the theme of imagination and play.
Do you have a favorite page?
Oh, what a fun and challenging question! I think my favourite page is where Anjali and Isa first meet the frog. Sarah captured the alarmed expressions of the characters so well as they stare wide-eyed at the talking frog. I do also love when the friends are laughing and giggling as they meet the snake later in the story.
If you were with Anjali and Isa trying to go somewhere, where would your “somewhere” be?
This is a hard question! I’ve been lucky to do a lot of travelling, both before having children and at a slower pace with children. I tend to be drawn to walkable cities that offer cafes and parks/green spaces.
I suppose those are places that I can easily read or people-watch! It’s a vague answer, but those are typically my requirements.
Were you influenced by any other picture books or children’s stories?
I think I was trying to channel the silly and repetitive nature of Robert Munsch’s stories when I first told this story to my daughter. I also love the whimsy of Sara O’Leary’s picture books, so I think I was influenced by her as well. We love This is Sadie and Gemma and the Giant Girl.
Who would you most like to read your book?
Honestly, I would like littles and their grown-ups to read my book. It’s a story that I think can be enjoyed alone as well as shared. It makes a great read aloud, either in a classroom (kindergarten and primary ages) or at home.
What would you like them to take away from it?
I want readers and listeners to be left thinking about where their somewhere might be, or what adventure they would go on, with whom, and who they might meet along the way. I want the story to spark conversation and imagination!
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