One night a young imaginative Korean child is awakened by the “pit, pit, pit” sound of something hitting against their bedroom window. The first snow has fallen. The child bundles up to go outside to create a snowman. Readers will enjoy the delightful use of onomatopoeias and simple adjectives to describe the protagonist’s adventures in their backyard, hometown, and a dazzling place with several children making snowmen. This picture book’s stark black, white, and red palette and textured canvas artwork are simplistically beautiful. The book’s illustrations, text, and main character’s pure childlike awe of snow are absolutely heartwarming. ema
Title: First Snow
Author: Bomi Park
Illustrator: Bomi Park
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Copyright: 2016
Original Language: Korean
Translator: Chronicle Books
Original Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4521-5472-5
Hardcover pages: 40
Age range: 2-5
Genre: Picture Book
Authors’ ethnicity: South Korean
Authors’ residence: Seoul, South Korea
Illustrator’s ethnicity: South Korean
Illustrator’s residence: Seoul, South Korea
Subjects: Landscapes, Snow, Snowmen, Winter
In this non-fiction picture book, readers will learn about a large variety of subjects that all encourage outdoor exploration. Throughout the book there are many questions for young scientists to ask followed by their answers. There are also experiments that readers can attempt. The book is mainly illustrated in black and white with pops of orange and blue but there are a few pages in the center of the book with full color illustrations of interesting animals. The back matter is filled with educational materials as well, such as a glossary, a timeline of important dates, and websites to learn more about the different topics. This book is sure to help young explorers expand their love of nature. amo
This informational book is all about the small things that live on and inside you. Some of them can be harmful like viruses, but many are very helpful and keep your body working the way it should. Young scientists will adore the educational details about our bodies. The cartoonish illustrations are crisp and full of bright colors. Throughout the book there are “did you know” blurbs to add more information to the topics. With a table of contents, glossary, and index this science picture book is easy to navigate to find areas of interest. This book passes on the message of how important it is that we take care of the microbes that live inside our bodies. amo
Poet Laureate of Toronto George Elliott Clarke’s collection of lyrical poetry will captivate readers of all ages. His poetry touches a variety of subjects, such as animals, school, exploration, poverty, and nature. The poems also describe the joy he has for his smiling daughter, Aurèlia. The colorfully captivating illustrations pair perfectly with the poems. Though some of the poems cover adult concepts that may be difficult for young readers to grasp, this collection is still great for emerging and early poets. ema
Pug Man starts his day at 11:48 am. When he first wakes up, everything seems to go wrong. He cannot find anything to eat for breakfast, he has no coffee, and his morning newspaper is dripping wet because of a rainstorm. Pug Man begins to wish that he stayed in bed for the other half of his day. Suddenly a fairy pops into Pug Man’s house. She tells him that she can grant him three wishes. The book’s basic colored pencil illustrations are perfect for telling about a simple man’s wishes. ema
Mr. and Mrs. Mo are too busy working to play with their monster so he decides to go see the world. He sets of with his globe in hand to see all of the sights he can find. Along the way he sees beautiful hills and landscapes. Unfortunately, he gets a bit lost. After a few moments of worry, Mrs. Mo finds him and helps him along his way. The warm colored illustrations help express the monster’s excitement as he treks through the hills. amo
