I am borrowing the publisher description here “A child and his beloved best friend go on a grand sea adventure in this magical picture book by the creators of “If I Had a Little Dream.” And that is what Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrilllon (illustrator) is about. It is a straight forward story with the only surprises being the ones the boy finds on his magical journey with his magical best friend. The adult reader will pretty much know what will happen next. The child reader will be in awe as our hero is.
The story is quirky and sweet. It is simple and detailed. There is a lot of color and a lot of imagination. There is a contemporary aspect as well as a classical feel to both text and illustrations. The book is for bedtime, story time or any time. The rhyming text is poetic and flows along effortlessly. It is possible to take one page and read it as a solo poem. Especially since the illustrations accompanying it compliment those words perfectly.
The illustrations by Castrillon are the highlights of the book. The colors are bold and soft at the same time. The colors pop and melt into each other. They are whimsical with realistic hints. There is a particular charm to that the lends themselves to being read on their own. They could easily be matted and used as decoration for a baby’s room.
And on an odd side note, a few of the images I could honestly see being used as a tattoo to commemorate this book as it could become a classic. Or the very least, a favorite of your child’s.