Kate Berube is a Portland illustrator and author whose first children’s book is Hannah and Sugar, a sweet tale about a timid little girl who breaks out of her shell when needed most.
“Every day after school, Mrs. P. asked Hannah if she wanted to pet Sugar. And every day after school, Hannah said, ‘No, thank you.’ ”
Hannah is always aware of her friend’s dog, but she possesses a fear she just can’t shake. Berube’s paint and ink capture Sugar’s shaking tail and Hannah’s cowering posture, conveying a good deal of truth about kids and dogs.
Then one day, something was different. Sugar was not at the bus stop— she was missing.
“Everyone searched high and low … and low and high.”
But come dark, there was still no Sugar. And as the stars came out, Hannah “listened to the sound of trains in the distance and she wondered how it would feel to be lost in the dark.”
Hannah’s thoughtfulness, awareness and empathy ignite her bravery, even in the darkness (rendered beautifully, to the extent that I heard crickets), as her instinct to be of help trumps her fear.
Berube shows great depth with Hannah and Sugar and I look forward to her next book*, already in production, according to her blog. Thanks to a shy girl and a spirited dog, she should have a legion of fans waiting for that one.
–Brian Juenemann, executive director of Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
Hannah and Sugar was recently honored with an Oregon Book Award. This recommendation first ran in April 2016 in the Eugene Register-Guard. You can find copies of Hannah and Sugar at independent bookstores around the country, but signed copies are often available at Broadway Books in Portland.
*Berube illustrated My Little Half-Moon by Douglas Todd Jenerich, which went on sale May 2, 2017. You can meet her at an event at Powell’s on Hawthorne for the new book on May 20, 2017 at 4:00.