I am all for books about being different and being you. I like stories where the family accepts the people for who they are (even if maybe it’s not exactly 100% realistic).
And when I found The Dress in the Window (via an online reader copy due March 2024) I knew that this was one of those books. Granted I did not think, “OMG BEST BOOK EVER!” But Robert Tregoning created a story that was sweet and accepting of the young boy of the story. One day this boy and his mother see a dress in the window of a shop. It is sparkly, red and flows and the boy can imagine how wonderful it would make him feel. But neither his mom or he have enough money for it, even though it is on sale. His mother tells him that if he wants this dress, he needs to earn the money for it. (Great life lesson there.) Of course, when he has earned enough money, the dress is gone. But then his birthday happens and there is a terribly special gift for him. We get to enjoy the story with the support of Pippa Curnick’s illustrations. They are nicely colored, sweet and simple without being simplistic. They are detailed well, and are a great mirror to the story. Overall, a cozy tale.
And with the book Night Song by Mk Smith Despres (due January 2024 and also read via an online reading copy) we have Bernardo the frog greeting the day by listening to the beautiful bird songs. He wishes he could be like them, warm and sunny, and colorful. And he wishes he could sing like them. His song is nothing compared to the birds; everyone loves that song. But after several failed attempts at trying to change, a snail lets him know that what Bernardo and the night singers do is equally wonderful. As the saying goes, you neer know who might be looking up to you. So, the moral is, know that you are good as you are, as everything is beautiful their own way. And it is maybe a bit “pushed” but at the same time, it is not “too pushy” and allows things to flow a bit more naturally. And this is delightfully supported with Hyewon Yum’s illustrations. They are cartoon-like without being cartoonish and have medium to busy details to help set the mood. Colors vary from page to page, but are crisp and support the story.