Quick Kids Reviews #12

Title: The Silence Slips In
Author: Alison Hughes
Illustrator: Ninon Pelletier
Source: Free ARC from Orca Book Publishers

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Orca Book Publishers via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

Wow. The illustrations in this book are perfection. Soft and serene, light and peaceful, warm and beautiful. And the beauty of this book is the writing is just as exceptional. There is a lovely, almost gentle, flow to the prose that suits the theme superbly. The story and the images are perfectly in tune, sending a message about the importance of being quiet, being still, renewing your energy for another day full of the Noise.

The Silence Slips Inappealed to me because I’m an introvert who needs a lot of downtime. Downtime for me means quiet and solitude. Being out in the loud, busy world can be overwhelming and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized how much I needed quiet in my life. As a child, it would have been very helpful to know that needing Silence is normal and healthy, to be told that there are ways to find the Silence even in the midst of all the Noise. And I have kiddos of my own who are rambunctious and energetic and so, so loud sometimes, but who also need what we call “alone time” when they are overstimulated.

This book is geared towards three to five year olds, but I think kiddos upwards of eight or nine would benefit just as much. Heck, I thinkparentswould benefit from the message in this book! I’ll be sending a copy to my daughter for my one year old grandson.

The Silence Slips Inis a must read. It’s never too early to teach children to take care of their emotional health!

P.S. I purchased this book for my home collection, as much for myself as for my children.

Title: Ella Queen of Jazz
Author: Helen Hancocks
Source: Free ARC from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

A wonderful picture book that summarizes a critical time in the career of the esteemed jazz artist Ella Fitzgerald. The illustrations are vivid, bright and colorful – even the fonts are outstanding! More important than the fabulous illustrations is the true story of how Ella’s music so touched another artist, that despite not knowing her, they stood up for her to ensure that she could perform at the biggest and most popular venue. Partially as a result of that gesture, Ella’s career exploded (it was already going extremely well!) and her friendship with that other artist – Marilyn Monroe – blossomed into something timeless.

What I love most about this book is how it teaches a critical lesson about how friends can use their different advantages to help each other in different, but profound ways. While Ella and her bandmates faced racism that temporarily held them back, her gift for music was so phenomenal it transcended most racial barriers, reaching into the hearts and minds of all types of people, and making fast fans and friends of many. Marilyn Monroe, a famous actress and passionate fan of Ella’s, used her star power (and white privilege) to get Ella into the club that she had been turned away from because she was black, and Ella helped Marilyn become a better singer, helping her to get parts in musical films. They had a wonderful friendship, and used their differences and advantages to help each other.

Truly a wonderful story!

Title: Little, People, Big Dreams: Jane Goodall
Author: Isabel Sánchez Vegara
Illustrator: Beatrice Cerocchi
Source: Free ARC from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Frances Lincoln Children’s Books via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

Again I say, I LOVE this series of books. Love, love, love! It should go without saying that I am especially besotted with the editions about women I have a great deal of respect for, and Jane Goodall is certainly one of those.

Through this wonderfully illustrated picture book, we learn about how Jane Goodall came to be the world’s most famous conservationist. From a small child, given a chimpanzee stuffed animal as a one-year-old, she seemed destined to a future involving animals. Gifted with a strong and consistent focus, her parents encouraged her to pursue her dreams, and despite not being able to pursue college, she found another way to achieve her dreams of working with animals, and after years working with chimpanzees in the wild, she was eventually able to complete her Ph.d. in Animal Studies at Cambridge University.

What a wonderful story! It exemplifies what is possible if we are flexible in the pursuit of our dreams (there is always more than one way!). It exposes young minds to the magic of nature and to the importance of animal study and conservation. And once again, the series introduces the profile of a strong, smart, independent woman who carved out the life she wanted.

5 Replies to “Quick Kids Reviews #12”

  1. Excellent reviews! I’m adding them all to our list, especially the one about Jane. I just love her and we just finished up a documentary on her life. Thanks for sharing this. 💕

    • Thanks, Carla! I do, too! Everytime I read one of them, I feel like I’m learning something, so goodness knows children will feel that in spades.

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