Kids’ Book of the Week The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken As with so many of the best stories, this one begins with a mistake: specifically, an errant splotch on an otherwise perfect illustration. While this mistake easily evolves into a feature within Luyken’s developing pen-and-ink drawings, the mistakes just keep coming. And they keep turning into …
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, …
This oversized item from the writer and publisher of the equally large and fact-filled Atlas of Adventures has its own unique attraction: three-colored glasses, which allow you to see, in the same picture, the animals that share a habitat but appear at different times, in daylight and at night and twilight, as well as the …
What a beautiful and haunting book. This story of a family that loses its home and father to war and must set out for a safer home might not be a soothing bedtime tale, but for a child curious about the word “refugee,” I can hardly think of a more delicate and powerful introduction. Safety, …
In my opinion, it’s never too early to begin the lessons of science with young ones. It can be challenging to find ways to explore the world of science with fun and accuracy, but when it works it is so satisfying. I Used to Be a Fish is something of an early reader for the …
Ellis has illustrated a few of my favorite books, so I always take notice of something new. In this beautiful book, she has created an entire bug language for you to translate. Not knowing exactly what the bugs are saying makes it the job of our imaginations to fully realize this wonderful story. –Kenny Coble, …
Fans of Tallec’s previous silly book, Who Done It?, every reading of which made me chuckle (I think a snort or two was involved as well), will be pleased to see he hasn’t lost a step in his new book! Like Who Done It?, Who What Where? is colorfully illustrated with critters who find themselves …
First let me say, though while not a Luddite per se, reading books electronically is anathema to me, and children’s books in particular. Who among us hasn’t gone back to books we read or had read to us as children, to revel in the stories, words and pictures, and had wonderful memories flood back? …
Carson Ellis’s detailed, engaging, and enchanting illustrations alone make this book exquisite, but then her writing just becomes the cherry on top. I am instantly smitten with this book that takes us not only around the world but back and forth through time, all the while drawing the reader in closer and closer. This is …
I’m not really sure that this is a kids’ book at all. Will little readers or big ones most appreciate its simple fable of courage and friendship and its intricate, exquisite illustrations? “Illustrations” doesn’t seem sufficient to describe the beautiful, Victorian-inspired prints that fill each page with a filigree of leaves, stars, and soil, with …
