PAX: JOURNEY HOME

PAX: JOURNEY HOME by Sara Pennypacker. Illustrated by Jon Klassen

The story begins with two separate threads. We return to following the life of Pax and the life of Peter individually.. Pax and Bristle are about to have kits. Little by little Pax is acclimating himself to the wild, learning the needed skills for survival. War continues to encroach upon their territory, and Bristle is anxious to move due to the bad experiences she has had with humans. After the kits are born, Pax sets off on a journey to find a new home but doesn't realize at first that he is followed by his little vixen kit. As they travel the little kit begins to get sicker and sicker, and Pax is unsure what is happening to her.

Peter's story begins with the fact that he has chosen to live with Vola, but he is beginning to feel trapped. His father has recently died in the war. Things have stayed too unresolved for him, and he desires to return to his roots and spread his father's ashes at their old homestead. He can't make the journey alone so he teams up with the Water Warriors. The Water Warriors are a group that tries to repair damages the war has done to the environment. One of their missions is to help decontaminate water that has been poisoned. Peter teams up with two others and begins his journey not only to heal nature, but hopefully himself as well.

HEADS UP- Like its predecessor, this book also deals with a lot of sadness and loss and really the continued possibility of loss. The bond that I spoke about in the first review (duality) continues into this book as Peter and Pax experience a deeper level of understanding than a traditional boy and his pet. (If you didn't read the review on Pax, I talked a bit about the Buddhist ideology of duality.) This book ends with steps moving towards healing. We get a peek at decisions made that begin to heal wounds. No long term effect is drawn out for us, but we are given enough that our imaginations can take over and finish out the story. One other small thing to note, the two people that Peter travel with are a couple (male/female). You get the feeling that they live together. They do get married along the way.