The Little Crooked Bookshelf on #ReviewsDay

Hello Lighthouse

by Sophie Blackall

(This week's #ReviewsDay pick is from cottager Kara LaReau.)

What it's all about...
On the highest rock of a tiny island at the edge of the world stands a lighthouse, which withstands the elements and the passage of time as it beams its light out to sea. All the while, its keeper works and writes, and changes await.

Why I love it...
Being a New England gal, I have a thing for lighthouses, and Sophie Blackall's latest masterpiece is the ultimate tribute.

Sample illustration...

What's the kid-appeal?
Fascinating illustrations and a detailed narrative reveal the inner workings of the lighthouse and the ins and outs of its keeper's daily life.


What's the grownup appeal?
Like a certain lighthouse, this story's classic, comforting feel offers a steadfast refuge and a happy, hopeful beacon.


Where to find/buy Hello Lighthouse
Indie Booksellers
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Or at a school or library near you!

Sophie Blackall is the illustrator of many picture books, including Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear, winner of the Caldecott Medal. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.

The Little Crooked Bookshelf

A FINE DESSERT

by Emily Jenkins & Sophie Blackall

This week's pick is from Cottager Anika Denise

What it's all about… 
Four families, in four different cities, over four centuries, make the same delicious dessert: blackberry fool.

Why it's on the Little Crooked Bookshelf…
This is a beautiful book. In concept, language, illustrations and artifact, there is so much to love.

Our favorite lines...

The girl washed the berries in

water from the well. Then she 

smashed them through a tin sieve

with the back of a spoon, getting 

rid of the seeds.

Together, she and her mother

poured sugar on the fruit and 

then mixed it with the cream.

"You may lick the spoon, child,"

the woman said.

So the girl did.

Mmmmm.

Our favorite illustrations…

© 2015 Sophie Blackall 

© 2015 Sophie Blackall 2015

© 2015 Sophie Blackall 

-
Why kids will love it… 
First, it's about a dessert—a positively scrumptious-sounding dessert, and Jenkins' delicately descriptive prose makes you want to taste the berries and lick sweet cream off the spoon. Children will pore over Blackall's deliciously detailed illustrations with equal delight.

Why grown-ups will love it... 
In addition to being a satisfying read aloud, it's a subtle history lesson, folded gently into the changes of costume, landscape, and recipe techniques through the ages. But one thing remains constant: blackberry fool is a dessert to be savored and enjoyed. And the same goes for this fine gem of a picture book.

Quote of the Week

"We hold our favorite books dear, and read them until we know them by heart. And when the time comes, we share them with our own children, which has to be one of the great joys in life."

--Sophie Blackall, illustrator of the Ivy and Bean series and The Baby Tree

 

Read Sophie's entire essay, "Why Picture Books Are Important," on the Picture Book Month blog.  

Pin it: