Dianna Hutts Aston

Author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Julie Maren join forces in this lovely picture book about the journey of an orange, from blossom on a tree, in a "land that glowed with spring light," to luscious fruit being harvested and transported far from its origin place. Selected at a grocery store by a young boy one January, the orange is shared by a group of friends, who enjoy its sweet taste while playing in the snow...

I greatly enjoyed An Orange in January, both for the thoughtful, show more engaging narrative and for the lush, gorgeous artwork. I have read a number of Aston's other picture books—notably, her An Egg Is Quiet and its many wonderful companions—but this is the first time I have encountered Maren's artwork. Sadly, it would appear that this is one of only two books she has illustrated. In any case, I think this would be an excellent title to use with younger children, in order to explore the theme of food, from source to table, particularly in an the context of food which must travel long distances to reach its destination. For my own part, I hope to track down more titles from Aston, as well as the other picture book from Maren. show less

The short child of a short family, Kylie Bell was a happy six-year-old, save for her trouble with Rusty Jacks, a bully in her first-grade class at school. Although she managed to stand her ground and speak up for herself when he called her names—all while maintaining her manners—she was forced to run for it when he threatened to get physical. It didn't seem like there was anything to be done, until the day no one would have Rusty Jacks in their literary circle in class, and Kylie Bell, show more remembering the family motto of "Brave and smart and big at heart," decided to do something generous...

Published in 2008, Not So Tall for Six is the kind of bully story which rubs me the wrong way, the kind I railed against in my review of Patty Lovell's Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon. In that story, the protagonist had lots of self confidence, and managed to change her situation through having a "good" attitude. Here the heroine effects a change by showing kindness to her bully, thereby winning him over. While these strategies might in fact work some of the time, they rely on the bullied child having resources—of personality, or of psychological strength—that some children just might not have. What does a story like this say to such children? Does it offer them real solutions, or true comfort? Or does it compound the problem by implying, however unintentionally, that if they were somehow different, they could stop their bullying from happening? Although I appreciated the creativity of author Dianna Hutts Aston's storytelling here, and of illustrator Frank W. Dormer's southwestern style artwork, and although I did like the idea of a story about a short child working through their feelings about their stature, as a tale about bullying, this one fell flat, and is not one I recommend. show less

Like their subsequent A Seed Is Sleepy (which I chanced to read first), author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Sylvia Long have created an immensely appealing nature-study with An Egg Is Quiet, one that both educates and enthralls. Each two-page spread opens with a general statements about eggs - "An egg is colorful. An egg is shapely. An egg is clever." - before presenting examples, and more detailed information. The accompanying illustrations are simply gorgeous, perfectly capturing the show more beauty of these animals-to-be.

From the breathtaking first and last pages - which show a wealth of eggs, and the creatures who hatched from them, respectively - to the dual-narrative text that draws young readers in, this picture-book succeeds on every level. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, with a vivid and appealing color palette, and so many charming little details to capture the reader's gaze. This was a visual feast and an educational triumph! Here's hoping this team will collaborate on many more nature-oriented titles for young readers! show less

Diana Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long, the author/illustrator team who produced a series of beautiful and informative picture books exploring various aspects of natural history for children—An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient and A Rock Is Lively—return in this fifth title, this time examining nests. As with the previous titles in this vein, there is a dual format here, with a simple, poetic macro-narrative—"A nest is noisy. It is a nursery of chirp-chirping... show more buzzing... squeaking... peep-peeping... bubbling... babies"—and a more informative micro-narrative, giving more details about the diverse range of nests being presented. From birds to hornets, cactus-protected to stream-bed-located, created from gathered materials or from substances made by the parents themselves, a wealth of different nests is explored...

As with its predecessors, A Nest Is Noisy pairs an entertaining and educational narrative with absolutely gorgeous illustrations. I appreciated the fact that a variety of nests were included, as I think some children may incorrectly assume that only avian species raise their young in this way. I also appreciated the way in which the narrative emphasizes both the commonalities and differences in these various nests—a duality to be found in all of these nature books from Aston and Long. The artwork is, as always with Sylvia Long, a pleasure to peruse, with gorgeous use of color, and beautifully-captured animals and nests. The decorative endpapers—a lovely feature of all of Aston and Long's books—here show nests at the front and hatched young creatures at the rear, but here they have been placed in interior spreads, with more generic decorative endpapers (with what looks like nest material) at the actual front and rear. I would imagine this design decision was made because otherwise the beautifully decorative endpapers might be partially obscured by dust-jackets, which in certain circumstances (such as with library books) cannot be lifted. All in all, this was a worthy follow-up to its creators' other books, and has whetted my appetite to track down the two subsequent titles (I have a little catching up to do). Recommended to young nature lovers, and to anyone who is an admirer of Sylvia Long's amazing artwork. show less