Shelf Awareness--Sun & Son

PB Review: Sun & Son

Sun & Son by Linda Joy Singleton, illus. by Richard Smythe (Amicus Ink, 32p., ages 4-8, 9781681527475)

This loving, contemplative picture book by Linda Joy Singleton, illustrated by Richard Smythe (Watersong illustrator), uses carefully chosen pairs of verbs to describe dual-yet-converging storylines about the sun's journey through the sky and a very special day for a father and son.

Early in the morning, as the sun rises, a father wakes his son, bidding him "rise." The sun "shines" and so do the boy's teeth as he brushes. It is the boy's birthday, so his dad bundles him up until he's "warm" (just like the cat dozing in the sun), and they set out for a day spent in nature. Father and son fish, play games, pitch a tent and generally enjoy each other's company. Day draws to a glorious end and both the setting sun and a candle on the boy's birthday cupcake "glow." A new day dawns and sun and son "beam..../ together."

Much like her previous book, Crane & Crane, Singleton's word pairings provide fun, reader-friendly ways to think about the nuances of language. Some takeaways are fairly straightforward, like the different depictions of "shimmer" and "hide," while others, such as "shadow" and "reflecting," invite deeper contemplation. Smythe's illustrations feature expressive faces with large eyes that show the strong bond between father and son who gaze cheerfully and lovingly at each other. Bold, vibrant colors convey excitement, as both the natural beauty and human connections sparkle with life. Sun & Son contains a wealth of meanings and is made all the more accessible by its wonderfully spare but effective word count. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.

Discover: In this endearing picture book, pairs of verbs describing dual-yet-converging storylines showcase a reader-friendly way to think about language.

Shelf Awareness--Edgewood

YA Review: Edgewood

Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli (Wednesday Books, 400p., ages 12-up, 9781250821522)

Edgewood by Kristen Ciccarelli (Iskari series) is an enjoyably romantic, otherworldly saga that features a young woman hellbent on escaping her superstitious hometown--that is, until she must win back her aging grandfather from a wicked king and save an entire kingdom.

Nineteen-year-old Emeline Lark is a "folk singer with a pop vibe" who wants nothing more than to chase her dream of "making a living with just her voice." She's getting close, too, with reps from prestigious Daybreak Records on the verge of offering her a contract. But ever since Emeline fled Edgewood, the backwards town where she grew up, it feels as if the woods are calling her, begging her to "sing us a true song." Now her grandfather, who's suffering from dementia, has gone missing and his neighbors say he's been tithed to some "fairy tale" Wood King. Emeline refuses to believe this madness but, even though the Daybreak reps won't wait, she hurries back to search for her beloved Pa. When she ventures into the woods, she meets mysterious Hawthorne and his huge, impossible mare--and discovers that magic is real. Emeline will have to sing like never before in order to save Pa and break the curse that's poisoning the forest.

A finely tuned fantasy, Edgewood is an enchanting mix of magical quest, mystery and romance. Ciccarelli's headstrong Emeline is as much modern-day woman as she is timeless hero, and Hawthorne is as sensitive and broody a love interest as readers could hope for. Add in the delightfully lyrical prose and this neo-fairy tale hits all the marks. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.

Discover: Rising star Emeline Lark must sing for her life as she infiltrates an enchanted wood to win back her beloved grandfather in this finely tuned modern fairy tale.

March Recommendations

Picture Books:

In STROLLER COASTER, written by Matt Ringler with art by Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay, there’s a time every day when “the inside feels too small for Sam,” so that ’s when her dad takes her for a ride on the strollercoaster! “SNAP! The buckle clicks. WHOOSH! The straps pull tight.” And away they go! All through the neighborhood, up and down, faster and faster, until Sam feels like she’s flying. This energetic mood-changer is brilliantly illustrated with pen, ink, and pencil on paper, and colored in Photoshop. Click, clack, what a ride!

In LITTLE RED AND THE CAT WHO LOVED CAKE, by Barbara Lehman, Little Red bakes a cake for Grandma, and sets off down the street (one that’s lined with stores referencing fairy tales and nursery rhymes) to deliver it. The cat, who also wants that particular cake, follows along, then dresses up as Grandma and tries to take her place. But Gran gets the last laugh, and everyone gets cake and hugs. The extremely entertaining, mostly watercolor and ink illustrations are arranged in graphic novel-style panels, and they include plenty of details to pore over. There’s a search and find game detailed at the end, as well as the nursery rhymes that are referenced throughout the story. The endpapers add even more fun as pages from The Goosetown Citizen’s Nursery Rhyme and Fairy Tale Times. There’s all kinds of fun to be had here.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOREST, by Nadine Robert and Gérard Dubois, translated by Paula Ayer, is a gentle-yet-spellbinding picture book in which Arthur and his dad live near an impenetrable forest. Maybe it’s full of wolves, maybe ogres, and maybe giant badgers. One day, Dad has the “magnificent idea” of building a tower to find out what’s on the other side. They bake many loaves of bread and exchange them with their neighbors for stones, which Dad and Arthur stack as high as they can. It takes a lot of time and effort, but “something MAGNIFICENT” happens along the way. Plus there’s a surprise at the end that makes it all worth it.

In TIME FOR BED, OLD HOUSE, by Janet Costa Bates, illustrated by A.G. Ford, young Isaac, who loves “laughing and playing with Grandpop,” is nevertheless worried about sleeping away from home overnight. So the two of them stay awake and put Grandpop’s house to bed. Step by step, they make it “nice and dark and cozy,” and Isaac even reads the house a story. When Grandpop falls asleep, Isaac finishes the ritual with dog and teddy, until the only sounds are bedtime noises…Snore. Watercolor illustrations work beautifully with the text to portray this snug and comforting milestone.

THE STORY OF A STORY, by Deborah Hopkinson with pictures by Hadley Hooper, is a spare, lyrical tale of how one might approach writing a story, told in the gently encouraging voice of a narrator addressing readers directly. As we arrive, not only “with a pencil or two, a big eraser, [our] favorite pencil sharpener, and a snack,” we also bring our “eyes and ears, nose and fingers…mind and heart.” And ourselves. We bring ourselves, and our desire to create, but the process is still not easy. Pen, ink, and paint illustrations that are finished in Photoshop do a wonderful job with the text, which can be relevant advice for dealing with many a daunting task.

Board Book:

COMPARROTIVES, by Janik Coat, is a terrifically clever way of teaching comparative adjectives by using—yes—a parrot in various circumstances. Whether noisy/noisier, messy/messier, or bouncy/bouncier, the colorful, clear graphic design helps make this concept book surprisingly effective.

--Lynn

Book Announcement!

Ahoy and avast! My FIRST-EVER picture book, MONSTERS IN THE BRINY, is available for preorder!

To give you a hint of the fun (and sea monsters) lurking within the book’s pages, here’s the trailer:

For books signed by the author (me!), monster stickers, and a bookmark, please consider buying from The Wandering Jellyfish, a fabulous, new, indie kids bookstore located in Niwot, Colorado.

 

The book is also available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, and your favorite local bookstore!

 

Yo! Ho! The kraken and I thank you!

 

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--I Am Thinking My Life

PB Review: I Am Thinking My Life

I Am Thinking My Life by Allysun Atwater, illus. by Stevie Lewis (Bala Kids, 32p., ages 3-7, 9781611808971)

I Am Thinking My Life is an empowering picture book that demonstrates the strength that comes with believing in oneself and shows how a mindful vision of one's world may help shape it for the better.

An opening spread introduces readers to a young Black child who is thinking deeply about their life and their vision of the world. "I am creating a universe," they say. "I breathe meaning into my life through my thoughts and then my actions. I am the architect of my dreams." The child is radiant, loving, creative. They are seeing and becoming. Even when they "think storms," and for a time they are "storms... and thunderclouds... and tears," they may remember to "search inside" until they find sunshine and the clouds roll away.

Allysun Atwater's debut includes deceptively simple text designed to help readers (and herself, as she points out in an author's note) "maintain a positive mindset." She offers the power to "dream, envision, and nurse [one's] ideas and goals into reality," all presented in the very sympathetic form of a child who confidently shapes their own world. Stevie Lewis (Lost in the Library illustrator) uses colorful illustrations nimbly to portray this child who is by turns gleeful, thoughtful, determined, sad and triumphant, and she easily blends their flights of imagination with their reality. I Am Thinking My Life is a solid affirmation of the steps that any reader might take positively to affect their own world view. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger and children's book author.

Discover: A child becomes empowered by mindfully incorporating positive thinking into their young life.

March's Book of the Month--Little Thieves

In LITTLE THIEVES, Margaret Owen revisits The Goose Girl fairy tale, though she tells her own story from the point of view of Vanja, the maid who magically steals the identity of the princess.

As a four-year-old, Vanja—the thirteenth daughter of a thirteenth daughter—is abandoned by her mother to the Low Gods Death and Fortune. Vanja is happy enough with her godmothers until age six when they bring her to Castle Falburg. Here, she toils as a soot-covered scullery maid until she can orchestrate her own promotion to lady’s maid and companion to the princess Gisele.

Seventeen now, Vanja has stolen Gisele’s magic pearl necklace, and with it her place as Prinzessin-wahl of the Blessed Empire of Almandy. Unfortunately, she's also fiancee to the extremely nasty Adalbrecht von Reigenbach. Vanja orchestrates a series of robberies, stealing gold and gems from the aristocracy she now mixes with, trying to put together enough money to finance a decent life for herself far away. But two new troubles arrive, in the form of the junior prefect sent to investigate her “Penny Phantom” robberies, and in the curse Vanja picks up from the goddess of the forest: Eiswald decrees that Vanja will become the very gems she covets, unless she makes up for what she has stolen by the next full moon.

Clever plotting, a feisty heroine, great supporting cast, court intrigue, magic, gods with their own agendas, and, yes, romance all combine to make LITTLE THIEVES one fabulous tale.

--Lynn