illustration Archives – Rebecca Reads

Good Morning Yoga by Miriam Gates

June 8, 2016 by Rebecca Reid

Good Morning Yoga by Miriam Gates is a basic picture book to introduce young readers to yoga. Each page has a simple rhyme about a yoga pose mixed into an imaginary situation, thus making the stretch friendly to the young reader. Further, bright illustrations show children doing the yoga pose. A text box explains how to do the given stretch.

I am not very familiar with yoga at all, so I don’t know what the proper terms for each of the poses are. But that didn’t matter. With Good Morning Yoga, I knew how to do the yoga stretches. With the calming rhymes on each page and the fun illustrations, my kids were eager to join in. My daughter’s favorite page is that in which she is an explorer: one hand makes a “spyglass” at her eye while the opposite leg stretches out behind her!

Although it has been a few weeks since we read it, my daughter still likes to remember her favorite pages. This is a nice gentle way to wake up in the morning, and I am delighted to see that there is also a Good Night Yoga book by the same author/illustrator team!

Note: I received a digital copy of this book for review consideration. I also referred to a physical copy at the library because I like it so much!

Draw-A-Saurus by James Silvani

October 13, 2014 by Rebecca Reid

Draw-A-Saurus by James Silvani (Ten Speed Press, September 2014) is the perfect book for a kid who love two things:

Drawing
Dinosaurs

I know one such kid, so I was delighted to come across this book. With clear step-by-step instructions, the author/illustrator shows the process for drawing realistically proportioned dinosaurs of all kinds. There is plenty of amusing side-comments interspersed in with the illustrations. On top of all that, Mr. Silvani provides facts about the dinosaurs, including explanations of what things we know for sure and those we do not know for sure.

Missed Connections by Sophie Blackall

October 10, 2014 by Rebecca Reid

Way back in August and September, Jenny from Reading the End suggested I read Sophie Blackall’s illustrated book based on the personal “missed connections” posts found on Craig’s List.

I love her illustration style, as I mentioned when I reviewed her picture book. Missed Connections captures the personal ads just perfectly with Ms Blackall’s style. The pictures are sassy, amusing, and friendly. And there is something about the entire concept of a “missed connection” that gives the illustrations a sense of seriousness and contemplation. Continue Reading

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

September 12, 2014 by Rebecca Reid

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires (Kids Can Press, April 2014) is a STEM book. (For those not in the “know,” as I was not until recently, STEM is educational slang for something relating to Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mechanics.) A creative girl heads out to make the “magnificent thing,” but cannot seem to get it right for quite a while. Trial and error, experimentation. She keeps going. It is not easy, and finally she succeeds!

I loved how the author-illustrator included multiple pictures per page. You can see the girl’s growing frustration as she works, creates, and starts anew. I also enjoyed how we could see her creations throughout the story, but we could never quite see what she was making until the very end. Her facial expressions can show the reader (and young STEM workers) that creation takes lots of work, lots of mistakes, and lots of concentration. She had a great idea, but it took quite a while to get to her finished “magnificient thing.”

I see lots of educational value in this book for schools, but I also believe it is a strong, fun story with clever illustrations. Non-readers can still enjoy it by reviewing the pictures. This will be a winner with kids, for sure!

Note: I received a digital copy for review consideration.

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