Lovely, subtle watercolors and a lyrical text are squashed into a board format that shortchanges both book and readers. The opening spread reveals a trembling dawn scene, the sun rising over trees and hills; fine lines connect the landscape to the sunbeams, establishing a welcoming relationship between land and nurturing light. “This is where the sun shines…” It shines on seal pups on a rocky island, songbirds in the forest and “wax-filled hives / where honey bees drone.” In the companion book, Star (ISBN: 978-1-935279-07-5), a sailor’s cat, a glowworm and a forgotten teddy bear enjoy a starry night. The overall effect in both is lovely, or would be, if they were full-sized books. The board-book audience is unlikely to respond to the delicacy of either illustrations or text—a sad mismatch of form and content. (Ages 3-5)
