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"I love you endlessly like the Cape Cod sands. I love you dramatically like the bare Badlands. I love you intensely like Niagara Falls. I love you immensely like the Grand Canyon's Walls." For those of you who love Animally, this is another winner for your shelves! Americanly, written by Lynn Parrish Sutton and illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg, celebrates love through the bounty of America's famous landmarks and landscapes. Sutton's sing-song rhyming couplets paired with Greenberg's whimsical illustrations create an instant winner that is both sweet and educational.
"Boy couldn't hear, but he was happy. He spoke with dancing hands and he drew pictures for people in the sand. His parents loved his stories... but the villagers didn't understand." Boy, by Phil Cummings and Shane Devries, is a beautiful story for many reasons. It tells the story of a feuding king and dragon, and a little boy who helps them see (or perhaps hear) past their differences. The story may be simple, but the message runs deep. In a society where it seems we are so often more interested in being right than being heard, we all need to stop and pay attention to the child who simply wants to understand, "why are you fighting?" And then take the time to talk it out. The illustrations in this sweet picture book are crisp and powerful; everything about the book is thoughtful and filled with meaning. I'm a big fan of books where the illustrations tell the story as much as the text, because it means kiddos who don't yet read can still find meaning in the story. It's that book where something as simple as dancing hands helps us understand each other a little better.
"Mom, can I look at that one again?" You know you have a winning book in your hands when your toddlers want to read it again as soon as you've finished. And that's the case with Robin Bright's Love You Hoo, a picture book from Kane Miller. A parent or guardian owl is speaking to its baby in this sweet story - telling the little owl how special it is, how it has changed the big owl's life, and what the big owl is excited to teach the little one as it grows. It is an ode to parenting, to loving and being loved. And beautifully, there are no genders or labels assigned to these sweet owls, so it works for any mentor/mentee, or parent/child dynamic. This is a simple but powerful book in the way it addresses the benefits and challenges of raising a little one, as well as the promise of adventures to come. You can't help but want to snuggle closer to your little charge as you read the parting words: "Whoever you are going to be... Whatever you may do... Wherever you may choose to fly... I'll ALWAYS love you - hooooo!" It's that book that celebrates the special bond between a parent or guardian and their child.
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authorHi there! I'm Christine - Usborne Books & More independent consultant, kids' book fan, English teacher, mom of two boys. archives
November 2018
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