Review - My Ocean Is Blue

My Ocean Is Blue
by Darren Lebeuf
illustrated by Ashley Barron
Date: 2020
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

"This is my ocean," the young girl begins as she heads over the dunes with her mother. Then, as they pass the whole day at the seaside, she lyrically describes her ocean in simple, sensory detail. It's both "slimy" and "sandy," "sparkly" and "dull." It has wonderful sounds, as it "splashes and crashes and echoes and squawks." And it contains so many colors, from "rusted orange" to "runaway red," "faded white" to "polished green." Though "mostly it's blue." Nothing the girl experiences escapes her careful observation and appreciation. And at day's end, she can't wait for her next trip to the beach.

Author Darren Lebeuf, an award-winning photographer, uses spare text and a rhythmic style to create an evocative read-aloud. The vivid adjectives, both concrete and abstract, will inspire children to try to capture in words what they notice not only at the ocean, but in any natural setting. The bright, richly colored cut-paper collage illustrations by Ashley Barron add a captivating visual texture and depth to the story. The portrayal of a girl with a physical disability enjoying and actively participating in a day at the beach encourages all children to do the same in their own lives, while also offering a character education lesson in adaptability. This book has strong curriculum ties to primary nature units and life science lessons on oceans and the seaside, and it offers a perfect focus for nature-based education and outdoor classrooms.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

From the team that brought us My Forest Is Green comes this lovely companion volume that focuses on the seaside.

A little girl goes with her mother (or perhaps aunt or friend) to the seaside. While there, she explores everything the ocean and beach have to offer, comparing and contrasting its qualities. The ocean can be many different things at different times, or even all at once.

Ashley Barron's beautiful cut-paper illustrations are just as lovely here as they were in My Forest Is Green. She's quickly becoming one of my favourite picture-book illustrators.

This is a strong book that celebrates marine habitats. There's no plot, really, but the premise doesn't need one. The book's strength is its ability to show a child fully experiencing the ocean landscape over the course of one magical day.

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

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Review - Lucky Dogs: Shake Paws

Lucky Dogs: Shake Paws
by Cody L. Clark
illustrated by Kate Fallahee
Date: 2019
Publisher: Cody L. Clark
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 24
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Just when Mayor Ruby thought Dogwood was the quietest town on the planet, she discovers an uproar of emotion from the residents. Wiley, the new snout in town has created the friction. It is up to Mayor Ruby to pull Dogwood back together!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This picture book has the kernel of a good idea and charming illustrations. Unfortunately, it also has a lot of issues, mostly of the technical variety.

The dogs of Dogwood are hanging out at their favourite restaurant when a strange dog shows up and orders the spiciest thing on the menu. He looks intimidating, and the other dogs are wary of the stranger. But the mayor, Ruby, introduces herself and finds out why the new dog has come to town. Then the dogs greet their new friend and accept him into the pack, and they all have fun in the snow.

I can see that the author was trying to be punny, and there is the potential for a lot of good wordplay here. But it's kind of overshadowed by the technical issues with the writing. Commas aren't used very well, some sentences are kind of fragmented, and the adverb use is a little much. The new dog is also never properly introduced. One moment he's "the strange dog", and the next he's suddenly "Wiley". I'm also not clear on why one of the other dogs demanded Wiley leave after he ate the chowder; I actually thought I might have missed a page, because it didn't seem related to what had come immediately before.

The illustrations are the strongest part of the book. The dogs have great facial expressions, and there are plenty of different breeds represented.

Overall, I'm not that impressed. The story is too simple (and a little preachy) and the writing isn't that strong. The basic idea of the book is okay... but the execution is a bit lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cody L. Clark for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 2.17 out of 5

Review - Good News! It's Christmas!

Good News! It's Christmas!
by Glenys Nellist
illustrated by Lizzie Walkley
Date: 2019
Publisher: Discovery House
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 18
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Good News! It’s Christmas! is a playful and joyful introduction to the Christmas story. Written by Glenys Nellist, the best-selling and award-winning author of Love Letters from God, the simple, skilled rhythm of the text makes it an ideal read-aloud experience for both parent and child. With its vivid images and biblical narrative of Jesus’s birth, this book makes a perfect gift for the little ones in your life.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is the third book I've read by this author-illustrator duo, and it's probably my favourite. Good News! It's Christmas! tells a simplified version of the Christmas story for young readers using strong rhyming text and cute illustrations. There's not a lot of detail, and plenty of plot elements are left out... but for very young children, it gets the basic idea across.

I'd recommend this to those looking for kid-friendly versions of the nativity of Jesus, or for those looking for sweet picture books that celebrate the more religious side of Christmas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Discovery House for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.43 out of 5

Review - Don't Let Go!

Don't Let Go!
by Élisabeth Eudes-Pascal
Date: 2020
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Reading level: C
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

It’s a frosty day at the beach, and a polar bear family is at play among the ice floes. The cubs splash around, all except the youngest, who’s nervously hanging onto his dad in the water. He’s just not ready to swim on his own. Despite encouragement from Dad, the cub is insistent: “Don’t let go!”

Maybe a flotation device would help? One by one, the little bear adds a lifesaver, a flutter board, a pool noodle, and a rubber ball to his body, all while clutching his dad. Eventually, the cub is so loaded down with large and colorful toys that his dad is able to sneak away unnoticed. But will he still be afraid to float on his own?

This simple, funny story is told in speech bubbles and illustrations. Full of color, laughter, and polar bears in vibrant swimsuits, this is a playful and lighthearted exploration of the challenges of independence.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a picture book done in graphic novel format featuring a little bear who won't let go of his father.

While I appreciate that this might be true to life and give parents a chuckle, I wasn't really impressed by the premise. The little bear is annoying, and the repetition just reinforces his obnoxiousness. I kind of wanted the father to just toss the kid into the water by the halfway point. It's not that he can't swim; he's just super clingy (and, as is shown on the last pages, he's simply being a manipulative brat).

The pictures are kind of unintentionally hilarious. The polar bears look pretty much like humans with bear heads, leading to an uncanny quality that put me in mind of the title character in Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present. (If those illustrations freak you out, you might have issues with Don't Let Go!).

For readers who like repetition and quirky pictures of overly anthropomorphized bears, this might be a winner. There's really nothing wrong with it; I just personally didn't like it all that much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for providing a digital ARC.

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Pace: 2/5
Writing & Editing: 2/5
Illustration: 2/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2 out of 5

Review - Golden Threads

Golden Threads
by Suzanne Del Rizzo
illustrated by Miki Sato
Date: 2020
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

When a storm sweeps Emi’s beloved stuffed fox away from their mountain home, he ends up tattered and alone on a distant shore. A kind old man finds the fox and gives it to his granddaughter, Kiko. As she recovers from an injury of her own, Kiko mends the fox lovingly with golden thread.

As the seasons pass, Kiko cares for the fox as her own. But after discovering his origins, she sets out, with her grandfather’s help, to bring the fox back to its original home. Once together, Emi and Kiko piece together the fox’s journey and find delight in their newly forged connections.

Golden Threads is inspired by the Japanese art form of kintsugi, or golden joinery, where broken pottery is repaired with resin painted gold. Kintsugi values repairing, rather than replacing, believing that the cracks give the broken item its story. This book is also a warm celebration of wabi-sabi, the Japanese idea that there is beauty in things that may be incomplete or imperfect.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

If you can read Golden Threads without getting a little choked up, you might have a heart of stone. This is a sweet story about friendship, being lost and then found again, and above all else, healing.

A little stuffed fox tells his story to the reader of the day he was taken from his little girl, Emi, by a storm. On the far side of a lake, a grandfather finds the battered toy and takes him home to Kiko, who's dealing with her own injury. The fox worries that Emi won't want him in his current state. Kiko understands, and sets about making repairs, using golden thread to stitch up all of his tears and wounds. Kiko also knows that someone is bound to be looking for the special little fox, and months later, she and her grandfather set out to find his true home.

The story is lovely enough, but the illustrations are really special. They look like paper and fabric collage, which is perfect for showing the little fox's broken and healed states.

I really enjoyed this one. I'd recommend it to readers looking for books about beloved toys, and those who enjoy books like The Velveteen Rabbit or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for providing a digital ARC.

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

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Review - D is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet

D is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet (Discover the World)
by Carol Crane
illustrated by Zong-Zhou Wang
Date: 2006
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Winding its way like a long dragon through 4,000 miles of mountains, desert, and grasslands, The Great Wall of China was built entirely by hand, taking hundreds of years and millions of workers to complete. That's just one of the myriad wonders of China children will discover in this far-reaching book. D is for Dancing Dragon brings China's history and culture alive by describing its unique customs, art works, music, foods, geography and wildlife. Children will learn, for example, that paper, ink, printing, umbrellas, kites and fireworks are all Chinese inventions. They'll find the secrets of how silk is made, how chopsticks work and why you should never cry on the Chinese New Year's Day. They will even learn a few Chinese words, as well as which astrological animal sign belongs to them. This captivating book is sure to be of special interest to anyone curious about this beautiful and mysterious land.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The only other installment I've read in this series of alphabet books is M is for Maple... and I wasn't impressed with that one, either. D is for Dancing Dragon could have been a nice non-fiction book highlighting all things Chinese. Instead, it comes across as paradoxically braggy and clueless.

I don't know if the author has any connections to China. In the section about the author, it's stated that she's written a lot of picture books about various U.S. states. The lack of Chinese flavour shows in the writing. So many times, even when it's claimed that China came up with the concept or has been using it for centuries, the word used is not Chinese. (A few examples are marionettes, macramé, and sweet dumplings that are eaten at Chinese New Year; surely those all have Chinese words to describe them.) And Chinese New Year and the zodiac are muddled as concepts. The timing of Chinese New Year is described twice in slightly different ways, neither of which make sense (the wording is off). And as for the zodiac, the book states: To tell which month the calendar is in, every year is given an animal name or sign according to a repeating cycle. From what I understand of the Chinese zodiac, the animals correspond to the years, not the months. I have no idea how you tell what month you're in with that calendar... but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have anything to do with the animals.

Over and over we hear about how Chinese inventions or landmarks are the biggest, the longest, the earliest, the most important, etc. It's like the book itself has a fragile ego and needs to constantly be talking itself up to its readers. I would've preferred more facts (and fewer legends) about the origins of certain things. Some of the sections are quite interesting (I particularly liked the pages for J, which are about jasmine flowers and tea; O, which are about Chinese opera; and X, which are about language). But there's a distinct rose-coloured-glasses tone to the whole book in that it ignores all of China's problems. (Of course, a highly politicized book might not be as suitable for kids. However, I had the same issue with M is for Maple in that it barely talked about Canada's Indigenous peoples and their history. D is for Dancing Dragon likewise makes no mention of issues with Hong Kong, Tibet, or Xinjiang.)

This book is really heavy on the text. Each letter is explained with a few paragraphs of prose, a short rhyming verse, and an illustration. Maybe it's just because of the particular e-book format I read, but this didn't really seem like a picture book to me. It looked more like an illustrated textbook... and, as such, I found it rather boring on the whole.

I don't think this series is for me. I like the basic idea of tailoring alphabet books to different locations to highlight their special traits... but the two examples I've read so far have not impressed me.

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

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall Rating: 2.14 out of 5 ladybugs

Review - Little Bro, Big Sis

Little Bro, Big Sis
by Rocío Bonilla
Date: 2019
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 56
Format: e-book
Source: library

Siblings never get to tell their side of the story (or so it seems).

Complete with a unique flip format and Rocio Bonilla's vivacious illustrations that tell each sibling's story, this clever take on sibling rivalry shares two life lessons: sometimes it takes a sibling sharing their side of the story to realize how much they appreciate their other half; and it definitely helps to have someone on your side when a new baby arrives!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I read another book with this premise not long ago, the forthcoming On My Mountain by François Aubineau. Little Bro, Big Sis is the same in that it's really two books in one; you read one story from the little brother's point of view, and then you flip the book over and read the story from the big sister's. The stories follow the same format, but are slightly different... until the ending.

I like how the siblings are viewed by each other (to the little brother, his big sister is a bossy rhino; to the big sister, her little brother is an annoying monkey). But eventually, they realize that they each have their good qualities... and just in time, because the household is about to be shaken up by a new arrival!

The pictures are amusing and fun to look at. The gimmick of the flippable book makes this kind of a long read, especially for bedtime. Maybe the reading could be split up over two nights. Then the kids can argue over which side of the book gets read first!

Overall, this is a fun little story about sibling rivalry. Recommended to those who already have siblings... and especially those who might be expecting another one.

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