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FROM MORNING TO NIGHT

Name: FROM MORNING TO NIGHT
Author: Flavia Ruotola
ISBN: 978-1-61689-615-7

A BOOK OF HIDDEN SHAPES

by Flavia Ruotola ; illustrated by Flavia Ruotola ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2018

A concept book with a mind-expanding perspective.

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This French import uses simple techniques to encourage children to recognize familiar shapes in unusual places.

Each spread consists of a pair of illustrations, the first one a common object, the second one the same elements reoriented to represent a different object. The color palette of warm orange and blue is skillfully used to enhance the differences between the two images. A simple bowl and spoon, captioned “a morning meal” is transformed into “a magic mushroom” by means of inverting the speckled bowl and broadening the blue spoon to make it a blue stalk. An orange fruit becomes a planet when a simple orange sphere changes to blue and the blue stem becomes a tiny orange star. Similarly, an orange segment morphs into a distant planet’s orbiting moon, and a gift becomes a music box—from “a surprise” to “a song.” A simple horizontal line spanning the spread changes from “a path” sprinkled with blue dots recalling snowflakes to “the night sky” with a constellation of orange stars. Some of the pairs offer contrasting emotional perceptions: “disappointment”—an empty chest—becomes “delight”—a letter in an envelope. In the final illustration, lines of text in a book (“a story read”) become the striped sheets of a pair of twin beds (“time for bed”).

A concept book with a mind-expanding perspective. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: March 6, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-61689-615-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

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ONE FAMILY

by George Shannon ; illustrated by Blanca Gómez ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 26, 2015

A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts.

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A playful counting book also acts as a celebration of family and human diversity.

Shannon’s text is delivered in spare, rhythmic, lilting verse that begins with one and counts up to 10 as it presents different groupings of things and people in individual families, always emphasizing the unitary nature of each combination. “One is six. One line of laundry. One butterfly’s legs. One family.” Gomez’s richly colored pictures clarify and expand on all that the text lists: For “six,” a picture showing six members of a multigenerational family of color includes a line of laundry with six items hanging from it outside of their windows, as well as the painting of a six-legged butterfly that a child in the family is creating. While text never directs the art to depict diverse individuals and family constellations, Gomez does just this in her illustrations. Interracial families are included, as are depictions of men with their arms around each other, and a Sikh man wearing a turban. This inclusive spirit supports the text’s culminating assertion that “One is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family.”

A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 26, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-374-30003-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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TURKEY TOT
by George Shannon ; illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann

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A VERY WITCHY SPELLING BEE
by George Shannon ; illustrated by Mark Fearing

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WHO PUT THE COOKIES IN THE COOKIE JAR?
by George Shannon ; illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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THE CRAYONS LOVE OUR PLANET

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 13, 2024

A droll exploration of color and nature—and a welcome reminder to safeguard our planet.

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Daywalt and Jeffers’ wildly popular Crayons have an important ecological message.

Though climate change is never mentioned, the book nevertheless gently introduces responsibility for Planet Earth. As in previous titles, the main text is in a large black font, while the Crayons’ dialogue is presented in a smaller, gray font. Blue begins by showing off a blue-tinged image of the globe (land masses are depicted in a darker hue). Green takes over: “Yay, Trees! I did those!” Beige breaks in, pointing to a tiny wheat plant next to two large trees: “And wheat! I did the WHEAT!” Beige puts wheat front and center throughout—even on White’s drawing of mountaintop ice caps. When Red, Yellow, and Orange display drawings of various fruits, Beige interjects, “And WHEAT. Wheat is totally fruit.” Diplomatic Purple politely responds, “Um. NO. It is not.” Purple attempts to dissuade self-important Beige, but it all ends happily as the Crayons join hands and proclaim: “Our planet has all of us too, in many shapes, colors, and sizes.” Beige and Purple reconcile, with Beige adding, “And it’s our job to keep the planet safe.” Young children will easily absorb this positive message. Although these characters have had many outings, their quiet humor still succeeds, and fans will definitely want this new entry.

A droll exploration of color and nature—and a welcome reminder to safeguard our planet. (Picture book. 3-5)