Thursday, December 15, 2016

A Picture Book Cornucopia

Since I keep stumbling upon such exciting new picture books and I feel selfish reading them alone, I am sharing them with you, dear reader. Enjoy!


My Thumb by Karen Hesse

Hesse is a favorite author of mine, so it is no surprise that whenever she publishes something, I jump to get it. My Thumb is a crafty little gem, geared toward those young thumb lovers in our lives. Although my thumb loving daughter has outgrown that habit, it seems obvious that she too has fond memories (or current experiences?) of those thumb lovers. Enjoyable read with a tinge of irony perhaps?


The Journey by Francesca Sanna

Whoa. This is an incredibly heartbreaking and direly-important story. A mother and her two daughters are forced to flee their homeland in search of safety as their city is engulfed by war. The illustrations only perpetuate the reality of loss, unknown, fear, and tension all the while Sanna keeps us focused on moving forward. Powerful book and sooo sooo important for someone like me who has not had to deal with this experience.

The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito

What an interesting exploration of sounds and silence. Coupled with varying uses of color and shades of dark and light, the author and illustrator Julia Kuo created a lovely story about a boy seeking to discover where silence is. He searches and searches, and in time, finds it right where he least expects it. Sweet read indeed.