We love creating connections not just with authors and illustrators on books, but between authors of different books. Click here to read author Lauri Fortino's interview with author Katey Howes.
Interview Alert: Katey Howes
Happy Hanukkah from Ripple Grove Press
Happy Hanukkah from Ripple Grove Press.
And many thanks to Jami Gigot for her beautifully lit bottles from SEB AND THE SUN!
STARRED Review for SEB AND THE SUN
The love keeps pouring in for SEB AND THE SUN by Jami Gigot!
We just received word we will received a STAR from Booklist in their January 2018 Issue!
Read the advanced review here:
This quiet story begins in darkness. It depicts a sleepy town, which is dim and dreary day and night in winter. Gigot’s dark landscape is softened by the patches of snow on mountainsides and rooftops and the light within buildings, giving a sense of the sweetness to come. Seb, a resourceful child spends his dark days searching for treasures with his friend Walrus, while enjoying honey sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Not much happens in these first pages; illustrations present the landscape and Seb’s treasure hunting. The busiest spread shows his neighbors at work: mining, knitting, and carving. Then Seb gets an idea. With supplies from his friends and Walrus's help, he sets out on an adventure to catch sunshine and share it. Gigot’s illustrations advance the story, providing details beyond the simple text. Seb wears a Viking helmet as journeys across the Nordic setting, and the interior of his room, his paintings, and his collections provide more details about his personality. Despite the prevalent darkness, this is a story that always feels warm. For many young American readers, it provides new perspective, and a quiet lesson about the sweetness of a hero who shares his treasure when he gains it. The end pages, like Seb himself, are full of sunshine. — Edie Ching
SEB AND THE SUN REVIEW: "unreservedly recommended"
Many thanks to the Midwest Book Review for their review of SEB AND THE SUN in their December 2017 Issue:
Seb is determined to find some light for his sleepy coastal town. It is so far north, the sun does not shine in winter and the days are cold, dreary, and dark as night. So Seb embarks on a mission to find the sun. Along with his friend Walrus, he makes a plan, collects supplies, and rows far out to sea. Will Seb be able to find the sun and bring its light and warmth back to his town? A superbly crafted children's picture book by author/illustrator Jami Gigot for youngsters ages 5 to 7, "Seb and the Sun" is original and consistently entertaining, making it an unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections.
Cover Reveal: The Full House and the Empty House
We are excited to reveal the cover for The Full House and the Empty House by LK James! This beautiful book will reach stores on September 25, 2018.
About the Book
The Full House & the Empty House are very good friends—when they dance they admire in each other the qualities they lack within themselves.
About the Author/Illustrator
LK James is an artist, illustrator, and writer who lives in Portland, Oregon. This is her first picture book for children. See more of her amazing work at lkjames.com.
STARRED Review for SEB AND THE SUN!
We are excited to share that SEB AND THE SUN received Starred Review from Foreword Reviews! The following review will be featured in their January/February 2018 Issue:
Far to the north where winter chases the sun away and the days are dark and drab, Seb and his friend Walrus conspire to bring light and warmth to their snowy coastal town. Beautifully depicted scenes full of murky shadow and softly glowing lanterns give Seb’s home a stark and otherworldly quality, while his sense of adventure, penchant for crust-free sandwiches, and friendly walks along the beach and pier are sure to warm the heart.
-PALLAS GATES MCCORQUODALE (January/February 2018)
Review for SEB AND THE SUN: "a luminous resolution so full of love"
Reviews for SEB AND THE SUN are starting to come in already! Many thanks to Kirkus Reviews:
Seb's coastal village lies so far north the sun doesn't shine during winter, making even daytime beach treasure hunts with his walrus companion "cold, dreary, and dark as night." Wearing his distinctive, Viking-horned winter hat, Seb sets out to find some sun for his small but diverse community. Little, pale Seb greets local friends: "old Bruce Brewster," a darker-skinned, bearded fisherman; a bespectacled white knitter named Mrs. Vandermuss; a mixed group of miners sipping soup and coffee; and Mr. and Mrs. Muktuk, cued as Pacific Northwest Native Americans who wear furred parkas and carve totem poles. These neighbors provide pockets of warmth, light, and encouragement. Similarly, Gigot's artwork, while overcast, provides engrossing details in street and window vignettes, with patches of lemony yellows and arctic whites contributing buoying moments of firelight, lamplight, and snow. The text, set in a candlelight yellow, glows on inky backgrounds. Readers might squint at what seem at first to be gloomy, digitally painted pencil illustrations, but they will soon feel lifted in noting people of varying skin tones, occupations, and ages, all engaged in productive work. Seb feels his work is to find sunlight for his neighbors, even if it means rowing all the way out to sea.
Some might find the ending contrived, but it's hard not to feel warmed by a luminous resolution so full of love. Otherworldly but with luminous pictures of a remote community.