All the Feels for The Full House and the Empty House

It makes us feel so warm and fuzzy inside reading a review like this. :-) 

"Caldecott Awards are not popularity contests… or so they say. But let’s be honest for a second. The likelihood that a book from a small publisher will steamroll books from the bigger, richer presses with huge publicity budgets is pretty slim. There are always exceptions (Crown probably being the most obvious example) but at the end of the day, it comes down to the companies willing to wine and dine the committee members. Here’s a fun fact: While ALA committee members are forbidden from discussing the books up for contention in any way on social media, it is not against the rules to accept invitations to lunches and dinners held by the very publishers attempting to woo the members with their most beautiful books. I remember attending a lunch at ALA Mid-Winter years ago (not as a committee member), sitting next to Caldecott committee folks while artists discussed their methods and techniques at length. How is that fair to the little guys like Ripple Grove Press here? Some smaller publishers are so cash strapped, they can hardly afford to send copies of their books to all the people on the committee. My point is that this book deserves an award, but the likelihood that it will receive one is almost non-existent. It’s beautiful and strange, so let’s appreciate it in our own time." http://blogs.slj.com/…/newbery-caldecott-2020-final-predic…/

New Review for SEB AND THE SUN

Many thanks to Julie Danielson at BookPage for the sweet review of SEB AND THE SUN!

In this warm story about a cold place (a “sleepy coastal town far in the north”), a boy named Seb misses the sun, which is altogether absent during the winter. Seb loves to find treasures on the shore, like washed-up bottles, and he wants to bring the sun to his town, if only briefly.

Seb formulates a plan and gathers supplies from his neighbors, and he and his pet walrus row out to sea. After attaching some rope, yarn and fishing line to a bucket, Seb hurls it across the water, well past the edges of the page and into the next spread. Not seeing any immediate results, Seb falls asleep in the boat and wakes to his bucket filled with sunlight. He carefully pours it into the empty bottles he’s collected at the beach and returns home to distribute his little vessels of sunshine to all of his neighbors.

It would be hard to keep such a dark, shadowy palette interesting, but author-illustrator Jami Gigot uses a light touch (so to speak)—Northern lights, white snows and the lights of the town illuminate the pages. Gigot’s detailed drawings of Seb’s neighbors at work are the heart of the tale. Readers grow to care for them as Seb does. His impressive bucket toss on the water provides a funny, hyperbolic moment of charm in an otherwise dark story. How this considerate boy catches the sunlight is a mystery to readers, Gigot leaves to our imagination the moment in which the bucket lands. But what matters is that Seb cared enough about his community to do so.

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.

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.

Review for Grandmother Thorn

With just about two weeks until the release of Grandmother Thorn we were pleased to find this review in the print edition of School Library Journal:

In this parable like story, nothing disturbs Grandmother Thorn’s well-tended garden. With eyes narrowed and sharply etched frown lines, she maintains every leaf and pebble in its proper place. Grandmother Thorn values tidiness and symmetry above all else, ripping out weeds and chasing away birds with her gravelly voice and rake raised high. The only crack in her well-ordered life is her friendship with Ojiisan (“grandfather” in Japanese), who walks with a slow, shuffling gait and provides her with sweets and good conversation. Knowing her fondness for sweets, he send s a berry peddler her way, but Grandmother Thorn chases him away when he breaks off one of her blooms. One stray berry takes root in the garden, and though Grandmother Thorn battles the stubborn off-shoot, it reappears each day. The woman falls ill, and in her absence, Ojiisan tends the garden. When she returns, the berry plant sports colorful fruit, and birds, squirrels, and bunnies have moved in. Grandmother Thorn has a change of heart. Hahn’s impressive eye-catching illustrations with intricate designs and shapes dominated by strong lines give the pictures a layered look. Intriguing sewn and painted patterns and details enhance the story, with its Japanese setting and phrases.

VERDICT This well-crafted take offers a gentle lesson of stewardship and living in peace with nature. Teachers and parents will appreciate its story, and readers of all ages will delight in its appealing design.  -Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA