Day: January 15, 2010

Smile!

| Tasha

Smile! by Leigh Hodgkinson

Though Sunny is almost always smiling, today she isn’t.  In fact, she has lost her smile.  It all happened when she was definitely not sulking after her mother told her she couldn’t have any more cookies until dinner.  Sunny’s dad says she should try to remember where she had it last.  Sunny looks all over for her smile, even cleaning up her room in the process.  She finally has a quick game of cards with her dog before continuing the search.  And guess what happens to appear!

Sunny has a very unique and personal voice that really makes this book special. Combined with the vibrant and child-like art, this book has plenty of energy and spark.  Hodgkinson also uses fonts to help emphasize certain words rather like Lauren Child’s books.  This book is filled with a wry humor, making it a pleasure to read aloud.

This one won’t sit on the shelf long with its bright yellow cover and friendly illustrations!  Snatch it up quickly!  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from library copy.

You can check out the book trailer below which gives a great sense of the illustration style as well as Leigh Hodgkinson’s own blog.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_-Jie7sjQg%5D

All Things Bright and Beautiful

| Tasha

All Things Bright and Beautiful by Ashley Bryan

Renowned illustrator, Ashley Bryan, takes the beloved hymn by Cecil F. Alexander and adds cut-paper illustrations.  Starting with the sun as a Ferris wheel, he creates entire ecosystems in paper.  Readers will see a huge whale, people of every color, fantastically detailed flowers and birds, mountains, rivers, and much more.  This book is a feast for the eye, filled with bright colors and smiling faces. 

This book will work well paired with Bryan’s other book, Let It Shine, which has a similar style.  Bryan did the entire book with his mother’s sewing scissors, as he mentions in the first pages.  This book is a true tribute to the vividness of life, the wonder of our land, and the diversity of our planet.

Highly recommended for every library collection, this book is a feast of color, art and song.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.