Lindsay Ward

An anthropomorphized tractor takes readers through her creation and use during World War II.

This was a lovely picture book that introduces a lot of historical concepts to relatively young readers. It touches on many aspects of World War II in regards to the home front, including rationing, collecting of materials for the war effort, women going to work in factories and on farms, and so on. Because of the focus on the home front, it is not generally scary so it's a good introduction for young show more ones to start learning some history without being overly frightened. I also appreciate a book that recognizes the importance of the home front, highlighting the necessity for people and communities to come together to fight a common enemy. I think all people, but especially young ones, need to be reassured from time to time that every effort -- no matter how small -- plays a part in achieving victory.

The illustrations are striking, with bold lines and vivid colors, and would appeal to even the youngest readers who love vehicle stories but might not understand the significance of the tractor here. A lengthy author's note at the back of the book provides more historical context, including a timeline of relevant events and a couple of photographs of women at work during World War II. Among other applications, I could see this book being useful in a classroom setting during women's history month with its inherently feminist message in the background of the story. show less

I just fell in love with this story. A little girl finds a mysterious request on a carousel polar bear and goes on a magical journey to the north pole where she joins a polar bear party! "It had been a perfect adventure." But it's time to go home and to bed and the adventure is over...until she finds another note.

Ward's lovely collage illustrations have a homey but magical feeling. Sometimes the backgrounds are random, like the polar bears made out of scratch white paper with scribbled show more schedules and note on them, sometimes they blend with the story, like the snowy background of the north pole created out of old maps.

This story reminds me irresistible of Raymond Brigg's The Bear which is one of my favorite movies, even though their artistic style is totally different. This is a bit dreamier than the books I usually use in storytime, but preschool ages will appreciate the magical adventure and it's a perfect story to read before bedtime.

Verdict: Definitely make this an addition to your collection. There aren't a lot of fantasy books that work well for younger children, but this dreamy story is one of them. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780803738782; Published 2013 by Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Group; Purchased for the library (and noticed a huge piece ripped out of a page when I read it again to review it, so purchased again for the library) show less

I liked the concept -- gray is a color too and deserves its own book! (Or at least one other than Fifty Shades of Gray?) -- but the creator didn't seem to trust in it herself, beginning with the two spots of pink on the main character's face. The conflict introduced with the arrival of the primary colors was actually fun, but a second wave of secondary colors added too much color to the book, and a third wave with black and white was starkly useless.

Again, for those who like a bit of show more darkness in their kiddie lit, there is a story within the story about a kitten who perhaps should not be hanging out with a hungry wolf and hippo that provides the only laughs in the book. show less

The Best Day Ever by Tupta and Ward is an adorable tale about appreciating who you are and accepting others as they are. It's also got a dash of willingness to try something new (and equal willingness to abandon what's not working).

The planner of the week, Monday begins to feel unappreciated by her fellow days. She decides to ‘chill’ and basically be part of a three day weekend. All the other days decide what they want their time to be all about, the same each week going forward.

Week one show more goes well, but soon the sameness begins to wear on them. The other days don't want to admit it out loud, but they miss Monday and her planning. She kept the flow going and monotony down. Finally, when things start to really break down, they realise Monday and her proper planning have a necessary place in keeping things orderly and flowing.

At the end is a page with facts about origins for days of the weeks. Those facts disappointed me though. They equated the name origins with only Roman deities, with no explanation. In truth the names themselves derive from Norse deities. Thursday (Thor’s Day) was an exception in saying it was named for Jupiter or Thor. But Tuesday for Mars? Wednesday for Mercury? Tuesday (Tyr’s Day) comes from Tyr, a Norse deity similar to Mars. Wednesday is for Odin All-father (Woden/Odin’s Day) which is the deity the Anglo-Saxons equated with Mercury. So yes, the Roman deities are technically correct associations. However, the Norse deities would be more appropriate regarding how the days got their names. As a pagan anthropologist with an interest in linguistics, this rubbed me wrong.

Overall, my cubs did enjoy this read. Two of them pointed out the same thing about the day name meanings at the end though. They are very familiar with Norse mythology. 😹 Cute for a bedtime or storytime read for sure.

***Many thanks to Netgalley & Two Lions Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less