As you know I enjoy reading picture books. They are not just for the “kid crowd” as I have found (and highly encourage others to do so, too) many books that give me information about something or someone I was unfamiliar with. I also find poetry, poetic prose, silliness and much more. But sometimes I am unable to write a “full review” so I must combine them to make one larger review. I do try to “theme” them, and I hope I did with the below titles.
All were read via an oline reader.
For the title The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest I can just put the publisher description of it here: “Take a lyrical journey on the wings of blue jays as they bury thousands of acorns for next season’s food and help mother nature extend the oak forests” And you have all you need to know about Lynn Street’s (currently available, but read via an online reader copy) story. It is Anne Hunter’s illustrations that really drew me in, with their simple lines and strong, but simpler color scheme. Everything is just “lyrical” and soft. It would make a good story to read during any quiet times (bedtime, class story time) and works one on one, or with a smaller group.
And Little Monk Writes Rain by Hsu-Kung Liu and translated by Rachel Wang Yung-Hsin (due March 2026) fits the theme I am putting together by having poetic nature and nature itself. We see how the Little Monk has an issue with reading and writing. He cannot do them, except for the word Rain. He can paint this word over. The colors are soft, traditional Asian influences flow off the pages and the text is sweet and also flows. The overall idea of a monk and how his seemingly useless little thing is the most important thing when the time is right allows others to know they have talents too.
My theme was how something little: a bird and an acorn (the focus of Blue Jays) and an orphan monk and a four letter word can have a great impact.