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From Robert Frost's classic reflections about "The Road Less Travelled,", and Beat writer Jack Kerouac's cross-country odyssey of On The Road, to the more contemporary shout out of "Everyday is a Winding Road" from singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow, these unknown paths often serve as a creative metaphor for life. Here in just short of one hundred words, Doris Gooch captures a similar sentiment in an inspiring story poem for children. The Zigzag Road Gooch transforms her life to the page. In this quiet literary transfer, the long stretch of road with its ups and downs, questioning curves, and steep hills, clearly represents her road of life and the challenges encountered along the way.
As the fifth child of seven, Gooch's life journey began in a humble Georgia community. Clearly her own zigzag road did not follow a smooth or straightforward direction. Her story is reflected in a route of twists and turns within a rural landscaped design, rather than a concrete, modern day freeway. The flow of the simple narrative verse coincides with the rhythm of the road. Simple illustrations depicting rolling hills, craggy mountains, dark pines, and roadside fields are rendered in natural tones of brown, blue, and green. The ever-winding road places readers in the driver's seat with a POV perspective to keep us wondering about what's over the next incline or around the upcoming bend. There is a breadth to these visuals that helps highlight the expanse of the open road.
While the road of life often reveals bumps and detours, Gooch's work instills young readers with a positive message. The lessons of a journey are often more important than the final destination. Remember to enjoy the ride.