Julia Denos

A young boy sets out for a twilight walk with his dog in this lovely picture-book from author Julia Denos and first-time illustrator E.B. Goodale. His walk takes him through his diverse neighborhood, and past numerous windows glowing with light, windows which give a glimpse into the lives of those within...

As someone who loves to walk past lit up windows at night, who enjoys catching the glimpses they afford of different lives and different worlds, I found Windows immensely charming. I can't show more think of another picture-book I have read which addresses this particular theme, so I'm glad this author/illustrator team decided to do so. Simple text and beautiful mixed media artwork capture the strange, ethereal beauty of a world just slipping into night. Recommended to fellow window-watchers, whether young or old, and to anyone looking for new bedtime stories that address the quiet joy of watching the world, and feeling that one belongs to it. Pair with Rachael Cole and Blanca Gomez' recent City Moon, which also chronicles a walk through an urban landscape at night. show less

This is a fabulous book, an amazingly good book.

My only quibble, a minor one, and something that comes up a lot for me: I do greatly prefer the term farmed animals vs. farm animals. Farm makes it sound like that is what they are. Farmed indicates what is done to them. I’m not sure why not all animal rights activists don’t use the term farmed vs. farm. That is why I give this book 4-1/2 stars vs. 5 stars.

Lovely sentiments throughout and I love that children and animals have the main show more roles.

The illustrations are wonderful. They’re beautiful.

This is a perfect book for vegan families though of course I’d love to have all young children and their adults read it. I highly recommend it for parents whose children have expressed any sort of discomfort about eating animals or eating/using products made from them. I know I’ll be recommending it to those adults for their families.

This is a wonderful addition to the humane education genre. I think that this book imparts an effective message. The book proper is for all ages and the information in the back is mostly for the adults. I cannot stress strongly enough how much I’d appreciate it if everyone read this book. It’s a book that I wish I could own and share with others. If I was buying books I’d buy this one for my home library. I can think of only a very few other books I’ve read in the last year that I would buy to own if I could do that.

NOTE: I feel sad & angry about it but it is also a book that I feel I’d have to get permission from children’s non-vegan parents to share with their children. It’s infuriating because no such permission exists for (the majority of) books that promote animal & animal product consumption. What a world.

4-1/2 stars

I found this book thanks to Peacegal. show less

‘’At the end of the day, before the town goes to sleep,
you can look out of your window and see more little windows lit up like eyes in the dusk
blinking away as the lights turn on inside
a neighbourhood of paper lanterns.’’

Most of my classes finish around 7 in the evening. Night slowly makes her mysterious presence known and through the train windows, you can see the houses coming to life as the orange lights call for you to look, to spy. (No mobile phone for me while commuting, thank show more you very much!) And I obey. I look for that unusual painting, or lamp, or a vividly-painted wall, or a bookcase full of books. But what attracts my attention is the life that can be contained within the walls of a house. The love, the hopes, the fears, the dreams. I’ve always been fascinated by dusk and the time when the windows lit up. My strolls in the neighbourhood always take place during the blue hour. Even though the houses are the same, the windows are the same, the people are the same, each time feels like an exciting discovery and the warmth in my heart never fades.

In this beautiful book, we take a walk in a serene yet lively neighbourhood, guided by a boy and his dog. During a quiet, autumnal evening, our stroll becomes a journey of understanding what it means to belong to a community. The fairy lights on the porch, children returning home, a dance school, an impromptu party in a basement, shops closing, friends reuniting, couples sharing the burden of the day, hugs, laughter, the perfume of a dinner that has just been prepared, the humming of the TV or the radio, the moon that appears to remind us that the time to rest has come. Tomorrow, we start again. For now, the soft caramel lights are waiting to ease our weary minds…

This lovely gem, created by Julia Denos and E.B.Goodale will make you grab your shows and take a soothing walk. And I promise you, you will see everything in a new light.

‘’Then you arrive home again,
and you look at your window from the outside.
Someone you love is waving at you,
and you can’t wait to go in.
So you do.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

Beautiful, glowing illustrations alongside a story that meanders a quiet and intriguing path through a neighborhood that is getting ready to settle down for the night. This really does a great job at capturing the exact feelings of getting a glimpse into people's lives via their lit-up windows at dusk, as well as capturing a cozy feeling of community, warmth, and homeiness. Just all around a lovely picture book.