A child travels through sundry of animals: a smack of jellyfish, a turn of turtles, an 
unkindness of ravens and miscellaneous inanimate items: a formation of rocks, a pile of rubble, an ocean of blue until he finds a tribe of kids to call home. The subtle play on words (the line of turtles actually turns and the opening pages show a tribe of kids as in baby goats) heighten the interest in the child’s travels, but it isn’t until the end that we realize his journey is one to find home, where “there WAS a tribe of kids” turns into “there IS a tribe of kids”.
Lane Smith‘s gorgeous illustrations fill in all the blanks of the spare text. There Is a Tribe of Kids is a must-read for all ages.
Additional note, January 24, 2017: There’s something I missed when reading this book. Debbie Reese talks about the word tribe and its use in this book over several posts on the American Indians in Children’s Literature blog, and also gives several links to other opinions about the book. Please read them. I think these responses to the book are important and I now see how imagery in the book reflects that American Indian stereotype that’s been in so many children’s books.
