Author: Caryn

Review: The Big Bath House By Maclear & Zhang

Add this to the list of unique picture books that I’ve never seen anything like before. A story about a young girl traveling to see family in Japan and taking the annual summer visit to the big bath house with her grandma, aunties, and cousins. It is a story of family and ritual, crossing language barriers, embracing culture, and loving all the stages of life and the ways it forms every body. Take a trip to The Big Bath House by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Gracey Zhang, 2021.

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Review: The Treasure Box By Keane & Bell

Today I share a book that I love and dread all at once. Dread in a good way, like no matter how hard I try not to, I cry when reading it. A tender book about grandparents, their beloved grandchildren and the special connection they have with each other. A book about love and loss. Come and see The Treasure Box by Dave Keane, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell, 2022.

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Vintage Friday: Nice Little Girls By Levy & Gerstein

While I was reading and reviewing What Are Little Girls Made Of? this book kept coming to mind. It’s a vintage gem of a book about gender stereotypes, friendships, and silly ideas. It is a surprising book, very different from the usual picture book fare, with a funny and thoughtful jab at the strange boxes society places around gender. Take a look for this vintage Friday at Nice Little Girls by Elizabeth Levy, illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein, 1974.

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Review: What Are Little Girls Made Of? By Willis & Follath

I’m surprised I had not really heard about this book before I was on a major Isabelle Follath illustration binge a few months ago. I am mildly obsessed with Follath’s character drawings lately and this one is abounding in them! But, to my and my daughters’ great delight, this book is also super fun. While it is jumping on the “young feminists” bandwagon, which can become a bit trite with the onslaught of products bearing the theme, this book actually does it well and delightfully. A book of fractured nursery rhymes, familiar and yet rewritten and freshly illustrated to hint at the oddness and datedness of the old versions if you know them; but mainly to celebrate the specialness, equality, consent, individuality, and independence of girls (and all humans!) in these new rhymes. Check out What Are Little Girls Made Of? by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Isabelle Follath, 2020.

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Review: Windows By Guest & Bentley

We all wish this pandemic was over. And we all definitely thought it would be by now. But even as cases creep up yet again in so many places around the world, we’re all still navigating this time and it’s hard to put into words all the emotions these past two years continue to bring. Enter lovely books like this one. A story about the distance we all have kept and occasionally are still needing to keep each other safe. A story about missing people, missing familiar sights and faces, and how we will celebrate together when it is finally behind us. Take a look at Windows by Patrick Guest, illustrated by Jonathan Bentley, 2020.

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