by Marianne Richmond
Sourcebooks
March 2012
This one didn't sparkle for me. The story features painterly acrylic and canvas illustrations. Ralphie thinks of every excuse possible not to go to bed - there's a bug on the rug, there's a monster behind the closet shelves, a mosquito buzzing in his ear, etc. His mom solves the problem by giving him a different animal themed snuggle - a fish kiss, a gorilla hug, a polar bear cuddle, etc. Usually a rhyming story will really enchant me, but this effort felt a bit forced. Still, children may appreciate the large-scale of the illustrations and the funny prank Ralphie plays in the end. I did really like the polka-dot endpapers.
I borrowed this book from the library.
by Alexandra Day
Square Fish
June 2012
Very simple sentences, and a thin plot are suited to the earliest of readers. As you can probably guess, as is typical in many goofy dog early readers, Carl gets in over his head taking care of a bossy sick puppy, but at the end of the day, all turns out well. Intelligent, but not too anthropomorphized animals make for a pleasant story. This just won't compare to the sublime original, but Day's illustrations of loveable Rottweiler Carl are as lovely as ever.
I borrowed this book from the library.
by Kiyomi Konagaya, illustrated by Saito Masamitsu, translated by Yuki Kaneko
Enchanted Lion Books
May 2012
This Japanese import features loose pastels as a boy enjoys his day at the beach. Child-like wonder at the ocean comes across very clearly in this delightful translation. Artistically, there are several interesting changes in perspective. The most unique page is when readers get a view from the boy's sandy toes looking upwards.
I borrowed this book from the library.
by Carol Matthews Rey, Eldon Lux
Pelican Publishing Company
February 2012
Here is a title that should be of interest for Florida historians. The book features rough-textured watercolors and lengthy prose on a true-life cowgirl.
I borrowed this book from the library.
No comments:
Post a Comment