Review - Your House, My House

Your House, My House
by Marianne Dubuc
Date: 2020
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

There's no neighborhood like a Marianne Dubuc neighborhood --- this time in an apartment building!

It's a special day at 3 Maple Street. It's Little Rabbit's birthday! His mother makes him his favorite breakfast. His sister has drawn him a picture. And, best of all, he's having a birthday party! His friends are invited, his father is decorating, and his mother is baking a cake. But that's not the only thing going on at 3 Maple Street today. The Cat family is moving in upstairs . . . the Fox family is having a new baby . . . Mr. Owl is trying to sleep . . . there's so much happening inside (and outside) this lively building, it's hard to keep track!

This multilayered picture book from international award-winning Marianne Dubuc allows readers to peer into the homes of all the charming animal families in the building on every spread. Though there is one main story, captured in the text, there are multitudes of other stories-within-the-story, told in visual narratives. Dubuc's winsome one-of-a-kind illustrations include heaps of clever details for children to pore over, promising something new to discover with every look and encouraging visual literacy in readers and prereaders. There are terrific social studies connections here on the concepts of community, inclusiveness and belonging.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Your House, My House doesn't have a strong story, but that's not really the point. The fun of this book is looking at the pictures and seeing the various smaller stories that are going on behind the walls of 3 Maple Street.

Little Rabbit is having a birthday. The Cat family is moving in. The Fox family is having a baby. There are some little fairy tale touches, as well, with a wolf and Little Red Riding Hood... and it looks like Goldilocks has broken into the Fox family's place!

Readers could spend quite a while poring over the illustrations and spotting little details. It's a fun book that will probably appeal to kids who enjoy seek-and-find picture books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can 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 - Little Cheetah's Shadow

Little Cheetah's Shadow
by Marianne Dubuc
Date: 2020
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Little Cheetah's shadow is missing. When Little Cheetah finds him and learns that Little Shadow is sad because he never gets to go first, Little Cheetah is happy to switch places. As they travel about their neighborhood, Little Cheetah is surprised to learn how hard it can be to follow. Eventually they decide that walking side-by-side is much better, and when they go through a scary tunnel on the way home, they discover they can face the dark together. Little Cheetah's Shadow is a sweet tale of friendship, empathy, and the importance of seeing things from a different perspective, rendered in Marianne Dubuc's warm and inviting illustrations.

(synopsis from NetGalley; see it on Goodreads)

This book has an interesting premise (although, it only works if you ignore how shadows operate).

Little Cheetah notices that his shadow is missing, and he finds Little Shadow in a tree, feeling sad. He never gets to go first, Little Shadow tells Little Cheetah. He never gets to decide where to go. And he often gets his tail caught in the door. So Little Cheetah lets Little Shadow take the lead, and for a few hours gets to experience life from his shadow's point of view.

Of course, shadows are dependent upon their light source, so science-minded kids might take issue with the overall premise. Still, it's kind of a cute story. And the illustrations are sweet.

I don't really see a reason not to recommend this one. I don't love it, but it's an interesting take on empathy that's smart in its subtlety.

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

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5

Review - And Then the Seed Grew

And Then the Seed Grew
by Marianne Dubuc
Date: 2019
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

In an ordinary garden full of flowers and plants, little Jack and Mr. Gnome live above the ground, while Yvonne the mole, the Field Mouse family, Paulie the earthworm and Colette the ant live below the ground. Everybody is happy in the garden. Until one day, a new seed arrives, which soon sprouts into a plant. As the plant begins to grow (and grow, and grow), its stalk and leaves get in the way of those aboveground, and its roots disrupt the homes and passageways of those underground. Before long, the plant has gotten so large, it has become a huge problem for the garden's residents. So, the friends decided they must chop it down. Unless ... wait! What's that growing on the plant?

In this multilayered (and multilevel!) picture book, international award-winning author-illustrator Marianne Dubuc humorously explores the concept of change as the characters resist but eventually accept the new addition, an excellent example of a growth mindset. The story also highlights the interconnectivity of living things and, thus, the concept of community. Animal habitats and the growth cycle of plants - from seed to fruit-bearing - are presented here with easy-to-understand, child-friendly visuals. The winsome illustrations are full of clever details, offering peeks into the animals' fantastical homes, promising something new to discover with every look, and encouraging visual literacy.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I was first exposed to this author/illustrator's work through the charming Otto and Pio. In fact, the two stories are somewhat similar, with something strange that comes into the lives of the characters to change their world. In And Then the Seed Grew, we have a story about a seed that grows and disrupts the lives and homes of the creatures that live above and below the ground.

One day, a seed falls from the sky. Nobody thinks much of it... until it starts to grow. Soon, the roots are interfering with the ants' and worm's tunnels, causing cracks in the mole's bathroom ceiling, and encroaching on the mice's home. The leaves get so big that they block Mr. Gnome's door, preventing him from even getting out of his house! The creatures all come together to devise a plan, and they agree to destroy the plant. But then Jack points out all the wonderful things the plant has to offer, so they leave the plant alone.

There's one major flaw in this: it seems to encourage just giving up when faced with a potential threat. This could've been corrected with a couple of sentences explaining that the plant (it was a tomato), would die off at the end of the season, and things could return to normal. In fact, the plant is missing on the final spread, which takes place the following spring. But how many children know that tomato plants can't survive the winter? I wish this had been addressed. If the plant had been some sort of invasive species, the creatures would have been logical to want it gone before it did any more damage to their homes and lives.

The pictures are cute and appealing, and there's plenty to look at in each illustration (especially under the ground). I don't really have any complaints with the aesthetic.

Overall, I think I enjoyed this about as much as I enjoyed Otto and Pio. With an extra sentence or two to explain that the tomato invasion was temporary (and therefore reasonable to put up with, given the benefits), I think And Then the Seed Grew could've been even better.

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

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5

Review - Otto and Pio

Otto and Pio
by Marianne Dubuc
Date: 2019
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 72
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Otto the squirrel is perfectly content living by himself in his treehouse in the forest, when a small creature, Pio, arrives on his doorstep, looking for his mother, and Otto invites him in. Pio eats all the hazelnuts, takes up the entire bed, and just gets bigger and bigger! Though Otto worries he may not be very good at caring for a little creature, Pio is very happy. Otto and Pio is a heartwarming tale about finding love and family when it is expected least and needed most.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a strange little story. But it's also quite cute. Otto is a squirrel who lives in a pretty fancy home in a big tree. One morning, he finds a strange green pod on his doorstep. Out of that pod hatches a furry white creature that says, "Pio!" It seems to grow in its sleep, and Otto sets out to find its mother before it can eat him out of house and home... or destroy his house (whichever comes first). But Pio is actually a pretty cool houseguest, making soup, cleaning up, and eventually saving his new friend from a very scary situation.

The illustrations are charming, and are quite fun to look at. I wondered if Pio was a baby yeti or something (he kind of looks like it), but I think part of the fun is not knowing exactly what he's supposed to be. It doesn't really matter, in any case, because he turns out to be a great friend. I liked seeing the different parts of the story--like Otto making his posters and plastering them everywhere--played out in the illustrations. Pio's decorating project was also pretty cute.

The writing was just okay for me. There were a few spots where it wasn't technically correct, which always bugs me in children's books. But the story is fairly solid.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this one. The story is good, and the illustrations are strong. Although we might not get the ending we thought we were going to, the one we do get is still nice. This book celebrates the power of friendships. Even unexpected ones.

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

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5