Review - My Island

My Island
by Stéphanie Demasse-Pottier
illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh
Date: 2019
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A young girl imagines a lovely island populated by thousands of birds, where she picnics with her animals, plays games, reads, and collects flowers. You too are welcome on this island, if you know how to dream. Gorgeous, colorful illustrations accompany this gentle yet impactful story that celebrates the imagination of young readers.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Taken in by the colourful cover, I thought I'd give this one a try. It's one of those books with strong illustrations and not very much story. On top of that, the writing isn't great. There's one glaring comma splice at the halfway point that drove me to distraction, and the rest of the text isn't anything special.

The illustrations, however, are beautiful. Using a limited colour palette, Ratanavanh creates a child's fantasy world that includes animals, birds, sea life, and plenty of friendly get-togethers. The addition of some of the elements that look like they're stitched (such as you see on the cover with the title and kite strings) is different and adds a bit more whimsy to the overall look.

I'd recommend this one for the illustrations, but not for the writing. It's a much prettier book to look at than to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5