1. Written by Zoe Michal and illustrated by Nejla Shojaie, this gorgeous book reminds me of old Golden Book vibes from my childhood. Teaching kids about animals, and also reinforcing the value of maternal love, this book gave me the warm and fuzzies.
2. Written by Ciara L. Hill and illustrated by Christian Krabbe, 'Soulful Holidays' was just such a joy to read. I love holiday books, as there is always something magical and special about holidays. I loved that this book featured different cultural aspects to what I'm used to, and talked about holidays such as Kwanzaa, something we don't hear much about in Australia. The pictures are funky and bright, and the rhyming is very strong. It was a joy to read!
3. Written and illustrated by Katie Weaver, I'd been wanting to read this book for a while. I love the title, and the cover makes it look very dramatic. I wasn't sure what to expect as I turned the pages. I was pleasantly surprised as the book went from a story about a storm, to a funny, fantastical journey about a little boy searching for what makes the sky roar. In the end, he discovers that's it's dinosaurs having tea parties in the clouds! I loved the magical, imaginative ending- and it was not what I expected at all!
4. Written by Clay Anderson and illustrated by Natalie Merheb, this book was a delight to watch (I watched it on Youtube-video by Swing High Children's Books ) The rhyme is strong, and the illustrations are beautiful. This book is about how much God loves us, and no matter what happens, Jesus/God is always there for us through the storms and threw the rainbows. Obviously, this book is aimed at a Christian audience, and would not appeal to everyone, but is a beautiful book, that would be a hit in any Sunday school or Christian book shop.
5. I loved the creativity of this story, and I love a good monster book! The parents in this story decide to take matters into their own hands when their children can't sleep, because they are scared of monsters. The parents watch and wait, until a monster appears, then they follow it to Monsterland. Here they discover, the monsters' aren't really trying to scare anyone, they are just curious, and have been slipping through the door of In-Between to explore our world. Together they make a treaty- and after this, no child was scared again!
This book plays into the classic fear of the monster under the bed/in the cupboard that most children have at some point in their lives. This book is very clever and unique, and the rhyme is a fun to read, as the words roll off the tongue when read aloud.
Happy Reading!
Laurelle Lewis