“[H]ow do you / climb a mountain? / one step at a time …” A brown-skinned child and their family set out to climb dormant South Sister volcano. Leaving their campground at sunrise, they follow a trail through the forest, taking note of wildlife both pesky (mosquitos) and endearing (tiny toads). The volcano itself is a “pumice desert” of “gray lava domes,” covered in layers of snow and bobcat tracks. The narrator passes other hikers and a marmot, spots birds of prey and butterflies galore. Near the top, gray stone gives way to “cinders underfoot— / the red I saw blazing at dawn.” The family’s effort pays off when they reach the summit. The view is majestic, the “tiny pond / like a great blue eye,” “the world— / looking like a big map / of the world.” Thankfully, the route down is easier: “sliding fast— down the snowfield / that I slogged up” before a rest at the lake and a return trek through the woods. The narrator is not tired but energized and inspired after a day of adventure. “[T]rying to sleep— / what mountain will I climb / next?” Written in haiku—the back matter specifies that the poetry form does not have to be in a 5-7-5 syllable pattern—the author packs the text of this outdoor adventure with vivid imagery and details of the natural world. The book’s trim size allows for wide views of the varied landscape.