Review - If You Come to Earth

If You Come to Earth
by Sophie Blackall
Date: 2020
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 80
Format: e-book
Source: library

From two-time Caldecott Winner author-illustrator Sophie Blackall!

If You Come to Earth is a glorious guide to our home planet, and a call for us to take care of both Earth and each other.

This stunning book is inspired by the thousands of children Sophie Blackall has met during her travels around the world in support of UNICEF and Save the Children.

• An engaging storybook about a single curious and imaginative child
• Simultaneously funny and touching
• Carries a clear message about the need to care for the earth and each other

If you come to Earth, there are a few things you need to know. . .
We live in all kinds of places.
In all kinds of homes.
In all kinds of families.
Each of us is different. But all of us are amazing.
And, together, we share one beautiful planet.

This masterful and moving picture book is a visually comprehensive guide to the earth, imbued with warmth and humor.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

If You Come to Earth would be a great housewarming gift for aliens who have decided to move to our planet. It's also a nice book for Earth children that provides simple explanations about our planet and the things one will find here.

With detailed illustrations, Sophie Blackall creates a guidebook for those who are curious about the planet. In a way, it's similar to books such as Children Just Like Me, but it doesn't focus exclusively on human beings. It's a cute look at the place that we all call home.

I did have problems reading some of the text (it's tiny in spots!) so this would probably best be read as a physical book. Other than that, though, I can see this one having wide appeal. It's suitable for most humans... as well as for interstellar visitors!

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5

Review - Ivy + Bean

Ivy + Bean (Ivy + Bean #1)
by Annie Barrows
illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Date: 2006
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reading level: C
Book type: illustrated chapter book
Pages: 120
Format: e-book
Source: library

The moment they saw each other, Bean and Ivy knew they wouldn't be friends. But when Bean plays a joke on her sister, Nancy, and has to hide quickly, Ivy comes to the rescue, proving that sometimes the best of friends are people never meant to like each other. Vibrant characters and lots of humor make this a charming and addictive introduction to Ivy and Bean.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is my first experience reading about this duo. It might not be the last. The story was cute enough, and I thought the girls' characters were done pretty well.

Bean wants to play a joke on her sister, but it backfires and Bean has to hide out for a while until Nancy has cooled off. She ends up roped into a scheme with Ivy, the little girl who lives across the street (and who Bean's mother has been pestering her to go and play with), to cast a witchy spell. As the girls move through the neighbourhood, encountering a variety of neighbours in their quest for spell ingredients, they grow closer (as little kids do when they're engaged in a common activity), and by the end of it all, when Bean's suffering through some well-earned discipline for her part in the plot, the two girls are friends.

I'm not sure why I didn't love this more than I did. Maybe it's because it's intended for young readers and it reads like it (unlike, say, Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series, which has enough humour and heart to engage older readers as well). Maybe it's just the illustrations. I've seen Blackall's work before, but I just don't like it here. The characters are... well, ugly, for lack of a better word. Maybe if the pictures had been in full colour, like the cover, I would've liked them a little more; the black-and-white illustrations just seem flat and kind of rushed.

Overall, though, this would probably be a good series for kids who are beginning to read chapter books. It'll probably be little girls who read this, simply because of the gender of the two main characters (although the story itself isn't really "girly").

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Pace: 4/5
Writing & Editing: 3/5
Illustrations: 2/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.13 out of 5

Review - Hello Lighthouse

Hello Lighthouse
by Sophie Blackall
Date: 2018
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 48
Format: e-book
Source: library

A lavish new picture book from Caldecott-winner Sophie Blackall that will transport readers to the seaside in timeless, nautical splendor!

Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook. Step back in time and through the door of this iconic lighthouse into a cozy dollhouse-like interior with the extraordinary Sophie Blackall.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Hello Lighthouse is a pretty little picture book with a very nautical feel. I read it in e-book format, but I suspect that the physical versions are tall and narrow, reflecting the shape of a lighthouse.

There's not much in the way of plot. Rather, the story shows the day-to-day life of a lighthouse keeper and--eventually--his family. We get to see the inside of a lighthouse and learn about the operation of it. We see the loneliness and the boredom, but also the excitement and danger that comes with the position. All of this is illustrated in beautiful pictures that evoke a sense of calm.

A nice note is included at the end that talks a little more about lighthouses and the people who ran them. It's kind of sad that this is no longer a way of life, but at least we still have the stories and--in some cases--the lighthouses themselves to remind us of a bygone era.

Quotable moment:

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

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.83 out of 5

Review - Big Red Lollipop

Big Red Lollipop
by Rukhsana Khan
illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Date: 2010
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: We Give Books

Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party, and her mother, Ami, insists that she bring her little sister along. Rubina is mortified, but she can't convince Ami that you just don't bring your younger sister to your friend's party. So both girls go, and not only does Sana demand to win every game, but after the party she steals Rubina's prized party favor, a red lollipop. What's a fed-up big sister to do? Rukhsana Khan's clever story and Sophie Blackall's irresistible illustrations make for a powerful combination in this fresh and surprising picture book.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This book actually made me really angry... so I guess it didn't really do what it was supposed to do.

I understand that the author is trying to show cultural differences here.  Ami just doesn't understand that you don't bring your bratty little sister to a birthday party when you're the one holding the invitation.  Unfortunately, there was little explanation as to why Ami thought that dragging a screaming brat to a friend's birthday party was acceptable.  Perhaps if there had been some discussion about party customs in Ami's culture, the book might have made more sense.  As it is, it's a story that's bound to frustrate and leave the reader wondering why Sana is allowed to act like a spoiled brat and get away with appalling behaviour, why Rubina is expected to put up with this and "share" (Ami's idea of "sharing" is to let Sana have whatever she wants, even if it belongs to someone else), and why, years later, Ami so quickly changes her mind about forcing Sana to take her little sister to a party after only a few words from Rubina.

The premise was good, and it's nice to see more multicultural children's books, but even the cute illustrations weren't enough make this one I'd wholeheartedly recommend.  I was pretty disappointed.

Quotable moment:

The worst thing is that all the girls at school know if they invite me to their birthday parties, I have to bring Sana.

I don't get any invitations for a really long time.

Recommended to: young children with parents who understand enough about cultural differences to explain why Rubina's mother acts the way she does

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

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5