Author: Caryn

Book Review: Alpha By Isabelle Arsenault

This book is one of my prized treasures from last year. I spied an early version of it coming to the US at a book sellers convention and it literally made me halt and gasp. It is a breathtakingly beautiful abecedarian. In a market where alphabet books abound in every manner of cleverness, this book stands out – not only in its physical characteristics with a cloth spine and uncoated paper – but also in its use of the NATO phonetic alphabet combined with unique visuals. Prepare to be captivated by an alphabet book. Here is Alpha by Isabelle Arsenault, 2015.

Continue reading “Book Review: Alpha By Isabelle Arsenault” →

CarynLeave a comment

Wordless Wednesday: The Girl And The Bicycle & Interview With Mark Pett

It’s Wordless Wednesday once again! Somehow I managed to sit on this awesome interview for months now! I’m not exactly sure what happened. I contacted Mark Pett and he readily agreed to do the interview, and then I never got it up. So sorry about that Mark! It wasn’t lack of interest in your answers, I promise. Let’s just blame it on life and the amount of reviews and books that I get buried under weekly.

So join me this late Wednesday evening for a beautiful story about a girl, a wished for bicycle, persistence, and true generosity. Here is The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett, 2014. And stay tuned for a Q&A with him too!

Continue reading “Wordless Wednesday: The Girl And The Bicycle & Interview With Mark Pett” →

CarynLeave a comment

Let’s Read Three: Picture Books About Death

I really struggled with what to call this book grouping, debating between using the word “death” or “loss.” And two of these books could actually be questionable about if the missing character actually died or just left, which potentially makes them even more useful. But when speaking to children about tough topics, semantics can cause more issues because of the literal nature and word associations due to age. Saying someone is “lost” or “gone away” or any of those terms just didn’t cut it for me and always confuses my daughter when the topic of death has come up. So, Picture Books About Death it is.

Continue reading “Let’s Read Three: Picture Books About Death” →

Caryn2 Comments

Book Review: No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah OHora

One of my favorite things about picture books and my kids, is observing which books become favorites. Sometimes the new favorite is a book I purposefully chose, strategically kept out in sight, and then felt contentedly smug when it easily won their hearts just like I thought it would. Other times, I feel shocked and a little perplexed at why certain books become a reigning favorite. And I’m maybe even a little relieved when they fade into the distance depending on how much I enjoyed the book myself or strained under the repetition and reader requirements (I’m looking at you Sandra Boynton’s Doggies). Then there are others that I myself admired, had on my own shelves for months or years even (this is the problem with owning too many books), and for some random reason I finally pull it down to share it with the kids. Bingo! They are hooked.

Continue reading “Book Review: No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah OHora” →

Caryn2 Comments