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Review: Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando

| Tasha

Black Cat White Cat by Silvia Borando

Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando (InfoSoup)

Black Cat is entirely black, from his ears to his tail. White Cat is entirely white. Black Cat only goes out during the day when he can see swallows flying, White Cat only goes out at night when the stars are out. Then one day, Black Cat decides to see the night. And that is how Black Cat and White Cat meet. The two decide to explore day and night together. The night has fireflies while the day has bumblebees. The day has daisies, birds and butterflies while the night has snakes, bats and mice. The two cats become best friends, and eventually have kittens of their own. And you will never guess what color they are!

Borando is an Italian author. Here she uses lovely simple language to convey the wonder of both night and day as seen through a fresh set of eyes. The budding friendship of the two cats is captured in a lively way on the page, each of them sharing their world with the other. The illustrations and design of the book is what makes it special. The use of just the two colors on the page, black and white is done with a subtle humor. Borando creates scenarios where the black cat provides the dark background for the white cat to appear against in the day time and then reverses it. These clever little twists are a joy.

Graphically interesting and beautifully designed, this picture book even has a surprise ending to enjoy. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Daytime Nighttime by William Low

| Tasha

daytime nighttime

Daytime Nighttime by William Low

A simple and lovely introduction to the creatures that children can see around their houses in both day and night.  The book starts with daytime and the question “What do you see in the daytime?”  The large images throughout show animals like butterflies, rabbits, beavers, and more.  In the middle of the book, a new question is posed about the nighttime.  Now the animals shown are bats, frogs, fireflies and raccoons.  The book ends with the final animal, a teddy bear held by a little girl as she falls asleep in bed. 

Ideal for toddlers, this book only has two full sentences and the rest of the text are single words that identify the animal on the page.  Adults can make it into a game where the child names the animal on the page.  The illustrations of the animals are large and vibrant.  They capture the feel of light and dark in a way has elements of both a photograph and a painting. 

A great pick for bedtime reading, this book will be enjoyed by very small animal lovers.  Appropriate for ages 1-3.

Reviewed from library copy.

Day and Night: Movie to Picture Book

| Tasha

day-night-book-image

Day & Night by Teddy Newton

The Pixar short film that accompanied Toy Story 3 in theaters has been transformed into a picture book.  Showing the same style, humor and charm of the film, this book captures the interplay between day and night.  Told in short sentences on black paper, the two characters immediately see their differences but through their interaction develop a friendship.  In the end, they discover they have a lot more in common than they had thought at first glance.  There is a wonderful whimsy about their interaction as they both use their bodies as a canvas for communication.  Each shows off the wonders of their time of day.  There are parades, rainbows and butterflies for Day.  Night responds with fireworks, outdoor movies and fireflies.  Told mostly in images, the story will appeal to young and old.

Newton’s illustrations carry this story, infusing it with appeal.  The use of the black background makes the characters really pop.  This creates a dynamic look and feel for the book.  The most effective piece of the book is the ending when day changes to night and night changes to day.  When their bodies fit together to create the horizon and to complete the sunset and dawn, it is very visually arresting.

Children who have seen the short film will enjoy this picture book version, but so will children who are looking for a friendly book with inviting illustrations.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

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