A great collection of books this week. I really loved the artwork for Surf’s Up, and On A Magical Do-Nothing Day.
On a Magical Do-Nothing Day
by Beatrice Alemagna
Published initially in 2016 in France, 2017, USA. The first spread immediately gets me interested and invested, with its tone and telling ‘just enough.’ The artwork is phenomenal, with incredible depth from ‘sad’ colors and great emotion to go with the words. Words and images work together very well. Lovely words, “I was a small tree trapped outside in a hurricane.” I enjoyed this book- a beautiful message—a great story on presence and the present.
Small Florence Piggy Pop Star!
by Claire Alexander
Published 2009. The artwork wasn’t for me, but it was still done well. The story was exciting, and I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. It’s a bit expected, but it also seems a bit mean to the sisters, even if they were mean. I hoped they would sing together and help each other through their emotions. We don’t see the main character grow or change to get past the ‘stage fright,’ but she can sing with no problem when the competition begins. The story seems to lack some cohesion overall.
Monkey and the Little One
by Claire Alexander
Published 2015. A lovely story and truth, this story uses words when it could show the reader rather than tell us what is happening. This story reminded me of Big Wolf, Little Wolf, which I prefer and recommend over this book.
Red
by Jed Alexander
Published 2018. A wordless picture book with absolutely stunning artwork; the linework and detail caused me to spend a significant length of time on each page. My only qualm with the artwork overall is that the people don’t seem to fit into the style of everything else altogether, but honestly, I like the contrast. The story was alright, overshadowed by my interest in the art itself, as it wasn’t clear.
Surf’s Up
by Kwame Alexander, pictures by Daniel Miyares
Published 2015. I immediately love the artwork; it is energetic and makes me smile. The story is fun and straightforward, just the joys of getting lost in a book. I love the frogs' language, as it adds some extra character to this story. Great book all the way through.
In Closing
As always, thank you for joining me this week. A fantastic group of books.
Thank you,
Caleb
