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The Blue Hour

Coming 2/20/2017 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5488-9 42 Pages  9" x 12.75" Ages 4 to 8

I've heard that the color blue, across all cultures, is the last color to be defined. Could that be because it is all around us in so many different hues? 
Isabelle Simler's The Blue Hour is a gorgeous study of blue in its many natural manifestations. Front pages are lined with dots of cerulean, periwinkle, cyan, and many other hues. Spreads are devoted to blue birds, sea creatures, foxes, frogs, a snake, insects, flowers, and mountains against a twilight sky. 

"Little blue herons stand motionless…blue monkeys go quiet…" The serene tempo makes The Blue Hour a tranquil bedtime book, even as the ocean and jungles are full of menace and mystery. The last spread shows a full moon with many of the same animals silhouetted against a starry indigo (or is that navy?). A world map at the back shows where each animal lives, making it perfect for older readers wanting more information. 

I received an F…

The Queen of the Frogs

The Queen of the Frogs is a once upon a time story reminiscent of an Aesop fable (albeit, one without a clear moral).

The story begins with a gathering of frogs enjoying life at a leisurely pace, spending "their days doing froggy things" and singing together every evening—groak, grak, groak. 
Marco Soma uses an earthy palette to create a world with pleasing details. His illustrations joyfully elaborate on Davide Cali's story, showing household objects and textiles not mentioned in the text. These frogs write at cafe tables, play musical instruments, and wear stylish plaid caps and bow ties. Side tables with Tiffany style lamps float on lily pads. 
The frogs have an understanding of human behavior. When one finds a crown and puts it on her head, the others shout, "Long live the queen!"
But the queen proceeds to do what all queens do—give orders. Illustrations show her being measured for a new dress, and relaxing in a chair with her feet up. Soon her subjects complai…

"I love you complexly like our national story."

AMERICANLY 
Kane Miller Picture Books
Author: Lynn Parrish Sutton
Illustrator: Melanie Hope Greenberg
Age: 3-7 years 
Size: 9 1/2 x 9 1/2
Pages: 30
Copyright: 2016

Written in rhyme, with a quirky use of adverbs for every "I love you," AMERICANLY is a lullaby about the United States.

The sunny illustrations of popular landmarks (the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Bellagio fountains) invite close inspection. Thick pages with rounded corners—like a board book—make AMERICANLY perfect for toddlers.


America is experiencing such a divisive presidential election that reading this cozy book about the entire country made me a little emotional. This picture book road trip could not have come at a better time.


Jpeg from Americanly by Lynn Parrish Sutton.
Read an interview with illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg here: www.friends.kanemiller.com

Happy Halloween!

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/539279/lilys-cat-mask-by-julie-fortenberry/9780425287996/

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Coming Spring 2017!