Review - How Beautiful

How Beautiful
by Antonella Capetti
illustrated by Melissa Castrillón
Date: 2017
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A stunningly illustrated picture book about a curious caterpillar searching for the true meaning of the word “beautiful.” But is there one true meaning—or many?

A caterpillar lives a simple life on his leaf until one day, an UnKnown Thing picks him up and calls him beautiful. A question forms in the caterpillar’s mind: “What is beautiful?”

So begins a quest to discover the true meaning of the word beautiful. Much to the caterpillar’s surprise, each animal in the forest has their own unique definition:

A bear declares that honeycomb is beautiful!

The squirrels say leaves are beautiful!

A mole says his burrow is beautiful!

What’s a caterpillar to do?

How Beautiful offers kids an immersive, memorable experience. Elaborate and vivid illustrations by Melissa Castrillón, author of Yellow Kayak and If I Had a Little Dream, combine with a sweet, central message:

Beauty is as diverse as we are.
“Beautiful” means something different to everyone, and that’s okay!
The beauty of the natural world is worth celebrating!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

How many times have we heard that? Well, it's true. And this sweet little picture book proves it.

An adorable caterpillar lives a simple life until, one day, someone picks him up and calls him beautiful. This sets him off on a quest to figure out what "beautiful" really means. But everyone he asks has a different answer. They can't all be right... or can they?

The illustrations in this book, done in a limited colour palette, are very sweet. (I've read Castrillón's Yellow Kayak, but didn't enjoy those illustrations nearly as much as the ones here.) The caterpillar himself is really cute, contrasting with the grumpy-looking blackbird who's always pooh-poohing everybody else's concept of beauty. The story is simple, but thought provoking.

This is a strong picture book. Check it out for the charming illustrations and poignant message.

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Review - Yellow Kayak

Yellow Kayak
by Nina Laden
illustrated by Melissa Castrillón
Date: 2018
Publisher: Simon Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A child and his beloved best friend go on a grand sea adventure in this magical picture book by the author and artist who created If I Had a Little Dream.

You just never know what a new day will hold if you are brave enough to find out. On one quiet afternoon, a boy and his special friend’s unexpected adventure bring joy and excitement and sights never imagined. And the best part of any adventure is returning home with stories to tell and you best friend at your side.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The cover drew me in, but unfortunately, that's about the only thing I liked about this book.

Yes, the illustrations are cute. But I have a big problem with them: they don't match the text on multiple occasions! And you just know that kids are going to notice something like that. It starts on the very first page with the text:

Yellow kayak.
Blue sky.
Paddle swiftly.
Wave good-bye.

Now, what colour does the sky appear to you? Because it looks pink to me.

I suppose you could argue that the turquoise stuff is the sky, but I interpreted that as clouds... and I'd be surprised if I was the only one who did.

Later in the book, it happens again:

Yellow kayak.
Gray sky.
Paddle carefully.
Seagulls cry.

This time, it's even more confusing, as grey isn't even in the colour palette... but you could perhaps argue that, this time, the sky is navy:

There are also some elements that I found confusing (on the second page, there's a picture of what looks like a beached whale, which horrified me at first; it took a few seconds of looking to realize it was a badly drawn seal). At one point, there's a smiling shark below the boat, and neither the boy nor his friend seem particularly worried (in fact, the giraffe's sticking his head below the surface!)... but then, when some whales come along, they're suddenly in danger:

Hulking monsters.
Spray blows.
Circle round.
Danger grows.

Hulking monsters? Danger? Is this some sort of pro-whaling propaganda, or has the author just come off of reading Moby Dick?

And then there's the whole ridiculous premise, with a boy and his giraffe friend going off by themselves in a boat (arguably not a kayak, since they use one single-bladed paddle, while most kayakers use a double-bladed one). Who lets their kid go off in a boat by themselves (I'm assuming the giraffe is imaginary because... well, why would there be a giraffe in the Pacific Northwest?) when there's a storm coming, and doesn't call the Coast Guard when they don't return home that night? There isn't even anyone waiting for them when they return (despite one of the first lines of the book, which talks about waving goodbye). It's just too unbelievable.

This book is going to make kids ask a lot of questions, but that's probably going to be more annoying than beneficial. And I wouldn't blame them one bit; so much about this book makes no sense, so you're left with no choice but to say, "What?!"

Premise: 1/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 1.86 out of 5