Bunch of goodies

Books come in all shapes, sizes and subjects. But the one thing that picture books have in common is they have illustrations and (usually) text. And most times both are really good. And here are five books that fit both those categories.

Green on Green by Dianne White (as our author) and Felicita Sala doing those illustrations I loved.  I give this a five for some amazing illustrations. They are what makes this book out of sight! The text rhymes and is poetic. The rhyming does not take away from the theme but adds to the lightness of it. A book to experience on your own level. Be comfortable when reading. Great for all ages.

I Believe I Can by Grace Byers with Keturah A. Bobo (illustrator) I enjoy books that are not “girl orientated” or “boy orientated” but one that just includes everyone without making a “big deal” about differences. This book is a great example of that. It does not matter what gender you are, what race, your religion or if you have a disability, you can do anything if you believe. Adorable illustrations that have minimal detail but fit perfectly. If I have one compliant it is that while we see diversity, with a few exceptions, most of the children are the same size.

Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy with  Shawn Harris on illustrations. While I am not the perfect audience for this book, the concept is fun. I also enjoyed the illustrations. Which I found a bit amusing as I’m not usually a fan of this “realistic abstractness.” Be range for reading to and the 7 to 8 could start to read on their own or with some help.

An Ordinary Day by Elana K. Arnold and great illustrations by Elizabet Vukovic. There are great illustrations to this book. However, the story on the other hand has two pieces to it that made me think twice about my enjoyment. Spoiler: there is a death of a beloved pet. But there is also a birth of a beloved child. The story is simple (two doctors go into two houses, while the street does its thing: the crows crow the children play, and so forth). There is no action, which is the point. The fact there was no action was the first, “Huh. Do I like this?” and the fact there is the mature subject of life and death unfolding out next door to each other was a bit intense. Is this for a child? Can you read this to a child? I don’t know if it’s okay for some adults. This beautiful story has a lot of personal, emotional buttons it will touch on. It is not something to blindly give to someone, but it is something most people probably need to read. A favorite part of the story is how natural everything is. We see diversity in the characters, while things are sad (the death) there is hope and neither is “preachy” or over the top. There is a spiritual element to it, but it is not religious. It’s just a book everyone will take from it what they put into it.

The Blue House by Phoebe Wahl (author and illustrator) This is a modern tale (probably set now but has a 1970’s-1980’s feel as well) about a boy, his father and their beloved home. But when development comes to their neighborhood, the emotions of having to leave their home come out. Unique illustrations that accent the tone of the book perfectly. The story is oddly cozy, yet show all the emotions our characters go through, which brings about the ending full circle back to the beginning.