Journey of the Humpbacks coming September 16th, 2025 from Eerdmans Publishing Co; 44 pages
About the Author: “Juliana Muñoz Toro is a writer and story embroiderer based in Bogotá, Colombia. The Humpbacks’ Journey, her English-language debut, was the winner of the 2021 Banco del Libro Award in the Informative Books category, and it was also selected for the “Reading Colombia” catalog in 2022. Visit Juliana’s blog at julianamunoztoro.wordpress.com and follow her on Instagram @julianadelaurel” (Bio from Eerdmans Publishing’s website).
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About the Illustrator: “Dipacho, the pseudonym of Diego Francisco Sanchez Rodriguez, is an award-winning Colombian author, illustrator, graphic designer, and musician. His picture books have been published in Colombia and other South American countries as well as France and Italy. Antonia is his American debut” (Bio from Astra Publishing House’s website).
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About the Translator: “Lawrence Schimel is a bilingual author, writing in both Spanish and English, who has published over 130 books in a wide range of genres. He is also a prolific literary translator, working into both English and Spanish, of over 160 books” (Bio from Publishers Marketplace).
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The perfect introduction to marine biology concepts, this interesting and digestible nonfiction picture book follows the journey of humpback whales in the Antarctic. From the introduction of their scientific nomenclature to the baleen whale family breakdown, everything included encourages conversation and learning among readers interested in humpbacks. The illustrations take readers on a journey through land and ocean—through the Antarctic to the coast of Colombia. This introduction to the path humpback whales travel is beautifully balanced in its descriptions and facts. Illustrations throughout the book are also equal parts vibrant and informative.
Journey of the Humpbacks pleasantly surprised me! This is the type of book I know younger readers will absolutely adore. Despite the content being quite knowledge-heavy and somewhat dense, it was formatted in a way that illustrations broke up some of the text. My personal favorite part of the writing was how Toro added descriptions that made the text seem almost fictional, like a novel. Creative storytelling can certainly help younger readers forget they are reading nonfiction. The translation also helps with the almost fictional style of the text. While I haven’t read the original Spanish edition of the book, I do know that Schimel has done a spectacular job with the translation. The language and syntax were so natural and easy to follow that, had I not known this was translated, I would’ve been in complete awe upon revelation. On another note, the illustrations were absolutely mesmerizing. Everything from the color scheme—with vibrant blues and greens and striking oranges—to the actual images was stunning. Some of my favorite pages featured the moody greens of a jungle and the bright oranges and yellows of the shore or sunlit sky. Journey of the Humpbacks is one I’d recommend for the stunning illustrations alone—the information and wonderful translation are just bonuses!
Journey of the Humpbacks releases on September 16th, 2025.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Juliana Muñoz Toro and Eerdmans Books for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Vanshikha Vij, Pine Reads Review Writer