Picture Books I’ve Read So Far | July 2022

Let’s talk some more about the picture books I’ve read so far this year. They aren’t many.

In addition to Every Tree Has a Story, which I reviewed last week, I’ve managed to read only three other children’s picture books. The other three also contain patterned illustrations and touch on nature in some way. They are all beautiful products.

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How the Stars Came to Be by Poonam Mistry (illus.)

Genre

Kids Fantasy — Folklore

Series

n/a

Pubbed

2020

From Goodreads

Have you ever wondered how the stars came to be in the sky?

The Fisherman’s Daughter loved to dance in the sunlight, and bathe in the glow of the moon. But when the moon disappeared for a few nights each month, she worried about her father and how he would find his way home from the sea in the deep darkness. When the sun finds her sobbing one night, he takes one of his rays and shatters it onto the ground, creating the stars and giving the girl the task of putting them into the dark night sky. This beautifully illustrated story gives us a new folk tale, and a new way to look up at the night sky. (Goodreads)

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My thoughts

How the Stars Came to Be tells the story about how the stars in the sky were made. A girl was worried about her father fishing at night and being unable to find his way home whenever the moon disappeared. So the sun shattered one of its rays so the girl could use it to create stars in the sky.

It’s a simple story that has a folklore-like tone to it to explain why something in our world exists. I liked it, especially when a monkey interfered with the girl’s plans for the layout of the stars (pesky monkey, lol). However, to be honest, the illustrations often distracted me from the story so that I sometimes forgot I should be reading and not just gazing at the pretty pictures.

Art style

As is typical of me, it’s the cover that got me interested in this book. It’s stunning. I first learned of this book when it was featured on Let’s Talk Picture Books, and the cover made me want to get my own copy, so I did, and I couldn’t stop looking at it.

The cover contains all the major elements of the story: the sea, mountains, the girl, and all the lights in the night sky, presented in brown, bronze, black, and a smattering of yellow, white, and gold leaf used for highlights, which makes the cover glint playfully in the light. The abundance of patterns used continues inside, from the end pages that are covered in a variety of stylized stars, to the rest of the illustrations within that are dazzling.

Each page is covered in intricately detailed, finely patterned illustrations that are all amazing to see. The colors used made me think of the illustrations as twinkling jewels, and on some pages, they certainly seem so. Although these patterned illustrations cover every bit of the pages except where the words appear, I did not feel overwhelmed by them, although they sometimes dazzled my eyes and certainly overpowered the story.

Overall: ★★★★☆ ½

I liked the book, but a big reason why is because of the illustrations, which, in comparison, are more impressive than the story and often entirely distracted me from it.

Buy | Borrow | Bypass

If you are as taken by book covers as I am and enjoy picture books, then you certainly need to add this one to your collection.

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The Worm and the Bird by Coralie Bickford-Smith (illus.)

Genre

Kids Fantasy — Folklore

Series

n/a

Pubbed

2017

From Goodreads

Digging through the ground day in and day out, Worm dreams of a better life. Despite having endless paths of dirt to plough, other burrowing creatures to befriend, and underground treasures to discover, Worm wants more–more space to be alone. Too busy to see the world around it, pushing everything aside, Worm learns a hard lesson in appreciating what you have and where you are.

This beautifully illustrated tale by award-winning author and illustrator Coralie Bickford-Smith explores themes of hope, curiosity, and the circle of life. Taking inspiration from Seneca’s essay “On the Shortness of Life,” which reads “But life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present and fear the future,” and drawing from the simple wisdom of the natural world, Bickford-Smith reminds readers about the importance of slowing down and engaging in the life around us. (Goodreads)

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My thoughts

The Worm and the Bird is about a worm striving toward space and solitude because it’s tired of the overcrowded conditions it lives in. Unfortunately, when it achieves its goal, the worm isn’t given much time to enjoy it. (Spoiler — The worm’s abrupt end was funny to me, not gonna lie. It was so sudden.)

I actually didn’t like this as much as I thought I would because it wasn’t what I expected. To me, the story is a fable about taking the time or slowing down to appreciate the things around you and your life. There’s much for the worm to marvel at in its travels underground, but it’s so focused and so busy that it doesn’t take the time to wonder at the beauty around it. In contrast, the bird seems to have what the worm strives for, but we also see that it sometimes has to deal with overcrowded conditions as well. However, the bird appreciates what it has and sees possibilities there too.

I did not read the synopsis from Goodreads before reading the book, so I had no idea that the story is inspired by Seneca’s essay, “On the Shortness of Life.” Maybe if I’d read the essay before trying the story, I would have had a deeper or better engagement with the story. Instead, I thought the end was abrupt and completed the story feeling unsatisfied because I wanted the worm to enjoy what it had worked hard to achieve.

Art style

I love the cover of this book, which is a major reason why I wanted to get a copy. It’s a black, clothbound cover with illustrations of plants and things beneath the earth in what looks like a bronze foil, which causes the illustrations and words to glint in the light. It’s stunning.

The end pages in the front are covered in wriggling worms, which, I guess, could seem disturbing to some folks (speaking about myself here because seeing many wriggling worms at once makes me shudder. I always disliked seeing them wriggling around after a rainfall or early in the morning. And there’d be so many of them on the sidewalk that I’d have to hopscotch my way down the block to avoid squishing them). The end pages in the back are covered in flying black birds (which is much more pleasing to me). The pages within are thick, which was surprising to me since it’s been a while since I’ve felt such thick, quality pages.

Anyway (really, I’m getting to the illustrations now), I like the illustrations within. We get lots of contrast between the worm’s living conditions in the packed earth and the bird’s abundance of space above ground. These illustrations aren’t as heavily patterned and detailed as the books I’ve discussed before, but some patterns are included to give a sense of texture in the earth. The colors used are mostly blacks and browns with splashes of yellow every now and then for the sun. The worm is always presented in white, which makes it stand out against the dark colors of the earth and makes it a contrast to the black used for the bird, which makes the bird stand out against the white sky.

The illustrations are pleasing, and I enjoyed looking at them more than I did reading the story.

Overall: ★★☆☆☆ ½

I liked the illustrations and overall presentation of the book, but I didn’t like the story much. Maybe one day I’ll read that Seneca essay and try again to see if doing so improves my reading experience with this book.

Buy | Borrow | Bypass

I’d recommend it for the cover and illustrations. It is a beautiful product.

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The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith (illus.)

Genre

Kids Fantasy — Folklore

Series

n/a

Pubbed

2015

From Goodreads

The Fox and the Star is the story of a friendship between a lonely Fox and the Star who guides him through the frightfully dark forest. Illuminated by Star’s rays, Fox forages for food, runs with the rabbits, and dances in the rain—until Star suddenly goes out and life changes, leaving Fox huddling for warmth in the unfamiliar dark. To find his missing Star, Fox must embark on a wondrous journey beyond the world he knows—a journey lit by courage, newfound friends, and just maybe, a star-filled new sky.

Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and the art of William Blake, The Fox and the Star is a heartwarming, hopeful tale which comes alive through Bickford-Smith’s beloved illustrations, guiding readers both young and grown to “look up beyond your ears.” (Goodreads)

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My thoughts

The Fox and the Star is about the friendship between a fox and the star that brightens its paths through the forest. One day, the star disappears, so the fox must make do on its own as it goes searching for its friend, the star.

It’s a simple story that also has a fable feel to it. And I think this is a good one to read aloud to fully take in the pace and rhythm of the story. It’s also worth going at it slowly to appreciate the illustrations, which complement the story well. However, although I liked this slightly more than The Worm and the Bird, I think it also ends abruptly, so I finished the book feeling unsatisfied. I think part of the reason is because the last sentence in the story reads like the beginning (or what could be the beginning or continuation) of a story, which made me want to read what happens next.

Art style

The illustrations are beautiful, of course. The cover is gorgeous and is the reason why I own a copy of this book and will keep my copy, although I didn’t like the story much. It’s a navy blue, clothbound cover with the illustrations and words in white, which gives me winter vibes, so I can’t help thinking of winter when I think of this book, although the story seems to take place in late fall.

The cover is covered in leaves and vines with the fox and words in the middle as if they are in the midst of a thicket. And this presentation is often used within the book since the fox visits dense parts of the forest and looks up at the sky to see how densely packed it is with stars.

The end pages are a forest, covered in a pattern of trees and leaves. One of my favorite parts in the book is where a similar presentation as the end pages is used but there are gaps for the words, like breaks in the canopy where the star’s light would have shone through. The colors used throughout are mostly cool tones of black, white, navy blue, and olive (I think), but every now and then, there would be a bright blaze of orange for when the fox passes through.

Again, the illustrations outshine the story and are actually more enjoyable to look at than reading the story.

Overall: ★★☆☆☆ ½

I liked the illustrations but didn’t like the story much.

I think these last two books were overhyped for me, and because I loved the covers, I expected to love the stories too, but that didn’t work. I’ve taken to unhauling books that don’t work for me, but these covers are so gorgeous that I’ll keep them in my collection anyway.

Buy | Borrow | Bypass

I’d recommend it for the cover and illustrations. It is a beautiful product.