Review - Once Upon a Northern Night

Once Upon a Northern Night
by Jean E. Pendziwol
illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Date: 2013
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

In this exquisite lullaby, the beauty and wonder of a northern winter night unfold, with images of a soft snowfall, the wild animals that appear in the garden, the twinkling stars, the gentle rhythm of the northern lights and the etchings of frost on the window pane.

As the young child sleeps, wrapped in a downy blanket, a snowflake falls, and then another and another. The poem describes the forest of snow-covered pines, where a deer and fawn nibble a frozen apple, and a great gray owl swoops down with its feathers trailing through the snow. Two snowshoe hares scamper and play under the watchful eyes of a little fox, and a tiny mouse scurries in search of a midnight feast. When the snow clouds disappear, stars light up the sky, followed by the mystical shimmering of northern lights - all framed by the frost on the window.

Jean E. Pendziwol's lyrical poem reflects a deep appreciation of the magic of a northern winter night where, even as a child slumbers, the world outside does not rest but continues its own natural rhythms.

Isabelle Arsenault's spare, beautifully rendered illustrations, with their subtle but striking use of color, make us feel that we too are experiencing the enchantment of that northern night. They simultaneously evoke winter's nighttime life and the cozy warmth and security of a beloved child's sleep.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I'm not usually a fan of books like this, and I'm still not sure if kids will enjoy it (or if they'll be bored). But I quite enjoyed this lyrical picture book about the snowy world at night.

The whole book is a free-verse poem, based around the idea of a parent "painting" a winter landscape for their child while they sleep. The illustrations are mostly monochromatic, with touches of colour; they bring the bare, wintry landscape to life.

While I enjoyed this, I'm not sure kids will. However, if it puts them to sleep, then it would make a great bedtime book!

Quotable moment:

Once upon a northern night

a mother deer led her fawn

around the silent birch

and traced

a wandering path

on my canvas of white.

They nuzzled the sleeping garden

with memories of summer,

then wandered off

to taste the frozen fruit

still clinging to an apple tree.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5

Review - Just Because

Just Because
by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Date: 2019
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Curious minds are rewarded with curious answers in a fantastical bedtime book by Mac Barnett and Isabelle Arsenault.

Why is the ocean blue? What is the rain? What happened to the dinosaurs? It might be time for bed, but one child is too full of questions about the world to go to sleep just yet. Little ones and their parents will be charmed and delighted as a patient father offers up increasingly creative responses to his child’s nighttime wonderings. Any child who has ever asked “Why?” — and any parent who has attempted an explanation — will recognize themselves in this sweet storybook for dreamers who are looking for answers beyond “Just because.”

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Though this might look like a book for children, it's not. It's for adults, aimed at those who already know the answers to lots of basic questions and can appreciate the creativity of the answers in this book. Children are often credulous. A book like this will only serve to confuse.

A little girl is going to bed, and she asks all sorts of questions of her father. His answers are fantastical and imaginative... but they're not truthful. I can just imagine the embarrassment and feeling of betrayal when a child tries to tell their teacher, "My dad says the ocean is blue because fish sing sad songs and cry blue tears," and is subsequently told that daddy lied.

The illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault are kind of fun (especially for fans of her work). The limited colour palette is kind of an odd choice here, though, since the story is dealing with such... well, colourful ideas.

I don't think I could recommend this as a children's book. If adults want to read it, they might get more out of it. But I think it would be confusing as heck to many children.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5

Review - Captain Rosalie

Captain Rosalie
by Timothée de Fombelle
illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Date: 2019
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 64
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Timothée de Fombelle and Isabelle Arsenault capture the heart-wrenching cost of war for one small girl in a delicately drawn, expertly told tale.

While her father is at war, five-year-old Rosalie is a captain on her own secret mission. She wears the disguise of a little girl and tracks her progress in a secret notebook. Some evenings, Rosalie's mother reads aloud Father's letters from the front lines, so that Rosalie knows he is thinking of her and looking forward to the end of the war and to finally coming home. But one day a letter comes that her mother doesn't read to her, and Rosalie knows her mission must soon come to an end. Author Timothée de Fombelle reveals the true consequence of war through the experiences of small, determined Rosalie, while acclaimed artist Isabelle Arsenault illustrates Rosalie's story in muted grays marked with soft spots of color -- the orange flame of Rosalie's hair, the pale pink of a scarf, the deep blue ink of her father's letters. All the more captivating for the simplicity with which it is drawn and told, this quiet tale will stay with the reader long after its last page is turned.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a bit of a strange picture book. Being quite heavy on the text, it will probably only appeal to older readers, especially given the subject matter. For me, it almost didn't seem like a children's book: from the mature voice of the supposed five-year-old to the disturbing descriptions of life in the trenches, Captain Rosalie seems almost like it was intended for a much older audience.

The story follows five-year-old Rosalie, a young girl who lives in France during the Great War. Her father is off in the trenches, and her mother works in a factory... which leaves Rosalie in the care of the schoolteacher. Being a little too young for school, she sits at the back of the class while she watches and listens. She repeatedly talks about her mission, the nature of which is a mystery until well into the story. Letters arrive from the front, and Rosalie's mother reads them to her. Rosalie doesn't seem much interested, as she doesn't remember her father (it's 1917, so he's likely been away since she was a toddler). But one day a letter in a blue envelope arrives, and it seems to upset her mother. Rosalie makes a plan to find the letter and figure out what it says.

I'm not sure exactly how this book is supposed to read. Given the mature-sounding voice of Rosalie, it almost seems like she's telling the story years later. But the narrative is written in the present tense, which seems like an odd choice for that sort of story. I'm also a bit confused by Rosalie's comments about liking to see her mother tired and sad. Is there something wrong with this child? (Perhaps not, but in any case, trying to tease out the complex emotions of a five-year-old child is a lot for a picture book to ask of young readers.)

The illustrations are fine, but nothing special. Rosalie's bright orange hair is set off amid a background of more muted pink and grey tones. It works for the subject matter, but I don't know if the pictures are particularly memorable.

Overall, I did enjoy this one, but perhaps not as much as I was expecting. I think my inability to categorize it is interfering a bit with my enjoyment. I'm not quite sure who to recommend this one to, given the subject matter and sophisticated voice of the text.

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

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

Review - Albert's Quiet Quest

Albert's Quiet Quest
by Isabelle Arsenault
Date: 2019
Publisher: Tundra Books (NY)
Reading level: C
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Albert just wants to read his book in peace . . . why won't his friends give him some quiet? A delightful picture book about finding alone time from an internationally acclaimed illustrator.

There are so many distractions in Albert's Mile End neighborhood, what's a book-loving introvert to do? Desperate for a quiet place to read, Albert storms out to the alley behind his house where his friends and neighbors often meet to play. Lucky him -- not only is no one around today, but he finds an old painting of a beach scene that someone's left for the trash. The painting sparks Albert's imagination, spurring him on a zen-like quest for a quiet reading break on a sunset beach, a moment to unplug and find peace. And he almost does too, except for those meddling Mile End kids . . . who just want to have some fun, as LOUDLY as possible. Will Albert ever find a moment of quiet to enjoy his book? Or could his friends be looking for a book break of their own?

Readers will love this adorably relatable story of a quiet kid, his big imagination and bringing friends together through the magic of reading.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Sometimes peace and quiet can be elusive. That's what Albert discovers when he goes out to the alley to read his book. Actually, he's just sitting there, daydreaming about reading on a beach. But as each of his friends comes along and starts to do their own activities, even his imagination starts to get cluttered and really, really noisy. Finally, he can't take it anymore and he snaps at his friends, driving them all away... or so he thinks.

Albert's frustration is something a lot of people will probably be able to relate to. His reaction toward his friends is not his finest hour, but to his credit, he does try to apologize. His friends obviously forgive him, and everything is all good.

This might technically be a picture book, but the format is really more of a graphic novel. The illustrations are divided into panels, there's onomatopoeia everywhere, and all the speech is in balloons. So, really, it's a graphic novel for kids. But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The illustrations, done in a limited colour palette of black and white, orange, and turquoise, are quite cute. I've encountered Arsenault's work before in the adorable Spork. These illustrations are just as charming and help to tell the story of a little boy who just wants some silence.

I'd recommend this to anyone who's ever wanted to retreat into their imagination (or a good book) and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books (NY) for providing a digital ARC.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 3/5
Writing & Editing: 3/5
Illustration: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5

Review - Spork

Spork
by Kyo Maclear
illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Date: 2010
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 34
Format: e-book
Source: library

A humorous “multi-cutlery” tale about how Spork — half spoon, half fork — finally finds his place at the table. A charming story for anyone who has ever wondered about their place in the world.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

What a cute little book! To adult readers, it would be pretty clear that we're not talking about cutlery, but about multi-racial families. But it's a great parallel, and addresses some of the issues that kids in such families might face.

I wasn't 100% sold on the illustrations, but only because I'm not sure how appealing they'd be to the target age group. The book is fairly monochromatic, with a rather rough look to it. Spork, however, is adorable.

Overall, this is a cute book with a great message about finding your place in the world.

Quotable moment:

One day, after the billionth time he was asked "What are you, anyway?" and the zillionth time he was passed over when the table was being set...

... Spork sighed and thought, "It must be easier to be a single thing." And he decided he'd try to pick just one thing to be.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5