Lauren Castillo
Author of Nana in the City
About the Author
Series
Works by Lauren Castillo
Associated Works
The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection (2018) — Contributor — 114 copies, 3 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Agent
- Paul Rodeen
- Short biography
- [from author's website]
Lauren studied illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art and received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is the author and illustrator of the 2015 Caldecott Honor winning book, Nana in the City, and new chapter book series, Our Friend Hedgehog. Lauren has also illustrated several critically acclaimed picture books, including Kirkus Prize finalist Imagine by Juan Felipe Herrera, Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, and Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. She currently draws and dreams in Harrisburg, PA.
Members
Reviews
A young boy loves his Nana but dislikes her urban home in this beautiful and endearing picture-book from author/artist Lauren Castillo. He finds the city busy and loud, and thinks that it is full of scary things. His Nana assures him that the city is wonderful: bustling and booming, and full of wonderful things, and on his visit to her, she shows him just what she means.
Awarded a Caldecott Honor in 2015, Nana in the City is a heartwarming tale that invites the young reader/listener to show more consider different perspectives, when pondering a given issue. The young boy-narrator comes to visit his Nana with a certain mindset, and everything he sees and hears, from the graffiti on the walls to the roar of the subway, seems to confirm his view that the city is no place for a Nana to live. But his wise grandmother, after outfitting him with a red cape to give him courage, shows him how the very things that cause him to dislike the city, also make it wonderful. She shows him a busy Central Park, she lets him listen to street musicians - in short, she shows him that the city is indeed a place for a Nana to live, and for him to visit. The watercolor artwork here is perfectly in tune with the story, using darker, more overwhelming shades - charcoal gray in the subway, for instance - when the boy is frightened; more open, white backgrounds - as when he is trying on the red cape - when he feels more secure; and warmer, brighter tones - the yellow of the leaves in the park - when he is discovering a new perspective. Castillo blends text and image here perfectly, making the marriage of the two seem effortless and natural. I enjoyed the story, thought the artwork was lovely, and appreciated the New York setting. In sum: Nana In the City is a picture-book that I highly recommend! show less
Awarded a Caldecott Honor in 2015, Nana in the City is a heartwarming tale that invites the young reader/listener to show more consider different perspectives, when pondering a given issue. The young boy-narrator comes to visit his Nana with a certain mindset, and everything he sees and hears, from the graffiti on the walls to the roar of the subway, seems to confirm his view that the city is no place for a Nana to live. But his wise grandmother, after outfitting him with a red cape to give him courage, shows him how the very things that cause him to dislike the city, also make it wonderful. She shows him a busy Central Park, she lets him listen to street musicians - in short, she shows him that the city is indeed a place for a Nana to live, and for him to visit. The watercolor artwork here is perfectly in tune with the story, using darker, more overwhelming shades - charcoal gray in the subway, for instance - when the boy is frightened; more open, white backgrounds - as when he is trying on the red cape - when he feels more secure; and warmer, brighter tones - the yellow of the leaves in the park - when he is discovering a new perspective. Castillo blends text and image here perfectly, making the marriage of the two seem effortless and natural. I enjoyed the story, thought the artwork was lovely, and appreciated the New York setting. In sum: Nana In the City is a picture-book that I highly recommend! show less
As winter approaches, Hedgehog can't wait for the first snowfall! That is, until she learns that hedgehogs are supposed to hibernate and miss all of winter by sleeping through it. Meanwhile, Beaver and the little girl named Annika Mae are working on creating a Friend Fort for all the forest folks to gather in together.
This is a very sweet story, with a quaintness to it in both the language and the gentle watercolor illustrations. It feels like the type of book that younger readers advancing show more from Frog and Toad early readers onto chapter books would enjoy, or for those readers who love the charm of Winnie the Pooh and other friends from the 100 Acre Wood. The language is mostly straightforward and simple, but it is interspersed with some lesser known words such as "thrice," and Mole has a habit of addressing the crew as "friends" in various languages, including Italian, Japanese, and Zulu.
There are a couple of different plotlines going on here, but I don't think it is at all too complicated for young readers to follow. The overall message is about chosen family being as important (or more important) than biological family. For instance, consider when Hedgehog finally meets other hedgehogs like her and learns they don't enjoy playing in the snow: "These hedgehogs might be made of the same spines and snouts, but their hearts spoke different languages." and the final words of the book as the various animals and Annika Mae gather in the Friend Fort: "They might look different on the outside, but in their hearts, they were family." It is all done with a gentle touch, not overly didactic or heavy-handed, and without casting aspersions on the other hedgehogs -- just acknowledging that they have different interests than Hedgehog.
This book is the second in a series, but it seems to generally stand on its own. I guess there might be a backstory as to how these unlikely band of forest animals and little girl became friends in the first place, but it doesn't really seem to matter for this tale. Embarrassingly enough, it did take me a short chapter or two to realize that Mutty is indeed a plush toy and not a real dog.
As the book is primarily full of animal characters, there isn't much to speak of in terms of diversity. However, the animals are a mix of genders, and Annika mentions an abuela, suggesting she might be of Latinx descent. show less
This is a very sweet story, with a quaintness to it in both the language and the gentle watercolor illustrations. It feels like the type of book that younger readers advancing show more from Frog and Toad early readers onto chapter books would enjoy, or for those readers who love the charm of Winnie the Pooh and other friends from the 100 Acre Wood. The language is mostly straightforward and simple, but it is interspersed with some lesser known words such as "thrice," and Mole has a habit of addressing the crew as "friends" in various languages, including Italian, Japanese, and Zulu.
There are a couple of different plotlines going on here, but I don't think it is at all too complicated for young readers to follow. The overall message is about chosen family being as important (or more important) than biological family. For instance, consider when Hedgehog finally meets other hedgehogs like her and learns they don't enjoy playing in the snow: "These hedgehogs might be made of the same spines and snouts, but their hearts spoke different languages." and the final words of the book as the various animals and Annika Mae gather in the Friend Fort: "They might look different on the outside, but in their hearts, they were family." It is all done with a gentle touch, not overly didactic or heavy-handed, and without casting aspersions on the other hedgehogs -- just acknowledging that they have different interests than Hedgehog.
This book is the second in a series, but it seems to generally stand on its own. I guess there might be a backstory as to how these unlikely band of forest animals and little girl became friends in the first place, but it doesn't really seem to matter for this tale. Embarrassingly enough, it did take me a short chapter or two to realize that Mutty is indeed a plush toy and not a real dog.
As the book is primarily full of animal characters, there isn't much to speak of in terms of diversity. However, the animals are a mix of genders, and Annika mentions an abuela, suggesting she might be of Latinx descent. show less
A girl and her mom have moved to a new apartment in a new city. The girl likes their home, where she feels safe; she declines her mom's offers to take her to the park, and when Mom tries to arrange a playdate, "my face turned hot and my eyes felt wet." Even a storytime at a bookstore is too much. So one day, Mom takes the girl to the animal shelter, where she meets Millie: "A not too big, not too small dog. A just right dog." She overcomes her nerves and pets the dog, and they bring Millie show more home. On daily walks, the girl notices that Millie is friendly to everyone they meet: "Millie wagged back. She wasn't afraid." The girl feels safe with Millie, and encountering new people becomes less scary each time. The girl even agrees to take Millie to the dog park, because she knows the dog will like it there. While Millie plays, the girl and her mom sit on a bench, and another mom and girl approach. This girl is equally shy, and the first girl suggests, to her mom's surprise, that they go over and say hello. "It felt safe. And just like Millie, I made a friend."
A beautiful story of overcoming shyness enough to make a friend. Millie the dog is an inspiration, and Mom shows patience with her daughter needing to do things in her own way and at her own pace. show less
A beautiful story of overcoming shyness enough to make a friend. Millie the dog is an inspiration, and Mom shows patience with her daughter needing to do things in her own way and at her own pace. show less
While I'm always skeptical of books with overflowing praise, especially those that say things like "a new classic" I love Castillo's art and was quite ready to try her first excursion into chapter books.
Hedgehog lives quietly on an island with her best friend Mutty, a stuffed white dog with a sweater and scarf. In the midst of a fierce storm, Mutty is blown away by the wind and Hedgehog determines to leave her island and find her faithful friend. She makes it to the shore and begins her show more search. Along the way she meets first Friendly (and wiggly) Mole, who introduces her to Owl, who's kindly help leads them to Beaver. Beaver is rather self-centered, but under Owl's firm demands he grudgingly agrees to help and gives them a clue - he's found Mutty's scarf (although he refuses to give it up). The next members of their group are Hen and her two chicks, who have more clues. Finally, they meet Annika Mae Flores, who has just moved into a new house in the area. The new friends bond over a final adventure, and then settle down to write down all their adventures with the artists' supplies from Annika.
The sweet and simple text is accompanied by lovely pictures in Castillo's signature style. Firm lines and soft washes of color, show gentle Hedgehog, snooty Beaver, and all their friends, right up to brown-skinned, artistic Annika. The world of the island and the riverbank is shown in a flurry of green and brown tones, with the river sometimes a friend and sometimes a frightening barrier. Castillo does a wonderful job taking readers down into the little world of the small animals, seeing things from their perspective. There are several nice touches too, like owl explaining his long words in simple terms and gentle touches of humor, like Mole's wiggly movements.
Verdict: While I don't like to hail anything as a new classic, this is a sweet and beautifully illustrated new chapter book that will make a wonderful read-aloud or transitional chapter book for readers who like gentle, comforting stories.
ISBN: 9781524766719; Published May 2020 by Alfred A. Knopf; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less
Hedgehog lives quietly on an island with her best friend Mutty, a stuffed white dog with a sweater and scarf. In the midst of a fierce storm, Mutty is blown away by the wind and Hedgehog determines to leave her island and find her faithful friend. She makes it to the shore and begins her show more search. Along the way she meets first Friendly (and wiggly) Mole, who introduces her to Owl, who's kindly help leads them to Beaver. Beaver is rather self-centered, but under Owl's firm demands he grudgingly agrees to help and gives them a clue - he's found Mutty's scarf (although he refuses to give it up). The next members of their group are Hen and her two chicks, who have more clues. Finally, they meet Annika Mae Flores, who has just moved into a new house in the area. The new friends bond over a final adventure, and then settle down to write down all their adventures with the artists' supplies from Annika.
The sweet and simple text is accompanied by lovely pictures in Castillo's signature style. Firm lines and soft washes of color, show gentle Hedgehog, snooty Beaver, and all their friends, right up to brown-skinned, artistic Annika. The world of the island and the riverbank is shown in a flurry of green and brown tones, with the river sometimes a friend and sometimes a frightening barrier. Castillo does a wonderful job taking readers down into the little world of the small animals, seeing things from their perspective. There are several nice touches too, like owl explaining his long words in simple terms and gentle touches of humor, like Mole's wiggly movements.
Verdict: While I don't like to hail anything as a new classic, this is a sweet and beautifully illustrated new chapter book that will make a wonderful read-aloud or transitional chapter book for readers who like gentle, comforting stories.
ISBN: 9781524766719; Published May 2020 by Alfred A. Knopf; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less
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