Tae-Eun Yoo

Before I review this I have to explain that this book was basically written for me. I collect bowls. They have to have the right kind of bowliness though. I love round things. This is a book about the beauty of roundness.

Sidman's simple, poetic text celebrates the beauty of circles in the natural world, "I love to see round things grow. Some start out round...like a seed/or an egg, waiting to hatch."

Yoo's illustrations really make the book though, showing a small, curious child and her show more father exploring the world. He's never far away and always ready to listen to her discoveries, but she is allowed to delight in her sense of wonder and find things on her own. Rich greens, glowing yellows, warm oranges, and cool blues swirl across the pages in an explosion of color and delight.

This would be perfect for a storytime celebrating nature, round things, or exploring with parents. The book will spark discussion on observation, finding more round things in the world around us, or discovering the things pictured in the book like bubbles, rocks, and sunflowers. Use it to spark art and science projects, or just to curl up for a cozy story in the evening. Bonus points for the depiction of an Asian child and her father, a pairing not often seen in picture books.

Verdict: A strong addition to any picture book collection. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780544387614; Published 2017 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

Love and family bloom and radiate on every page to create a heart-filled read.

A young girl spends time with her grandfather in his greenhouse and garden, enjoying their time together. She watches as he waters each plant, and he even gifts her one full of blossoms. As time goes on and she grows, his garden becomes smaller and smaller. Still, she remembers those moments, and while his garden isn't large, the love and flowers never completely disappear.

This is a celebration of family, show more especially the love between a grandfather and grandchild. Starting with a young girl and the hours she spends with her grandfather and his plants, the book progresses through time. The girl grows and goes her own way, while the grandfather ages, and while he doesn't lose his love for gardening, age forces him to draw back. Time flows calmly forward like a gentle stream. While the girl grows older, a bitter-sweetness takes over as she dreams and thinks of her grandfather. The entire thing ends like a loving hug, making it a feel-good-read with heart.

The scenes are bright but thanks to the sponged texture, carry a gentler tone. The feelings come across clearly, whether happy, sad, or longing. The bright, pink blossoms of the gifted flower pop just enough against the the greens and more neutral blossoms to catch attention without demanding it. And as a cute extra, there's the dog which ages right along with the girl. A new one appears when her own daughter joins the tale, adding a subtle message, which slides right in with the rest of read.

This is a book to cuddle up with and enjoy for quieter reading times. Plus, it can be used to inspire small green thumbs it grow their own flowers to create gifts of love. show less

It's simply incredible that this magical picture-book was Taeeun Yoo's graduate thesis at the School of Visual Arts - talk about promising young students! With its simple tale of a boy, his fish, and a magical journey into the world of a book - Jeje accompanies his grandfather to his work, at the old library in the middle of the forest, bringing his little red fish with him; and, after awakening from a nap, must pursue his elusive piscine companion through the stacks, and into the pages of a show more dusty red book - The Little Red Fish is also a visual delight. Yoo's sepia-toned etchings, with their occasional flashes of red, reminded me a little bit of some of Edward Gorey's work, in their ability to evoke a world of mystery.

All in all, a delightful book! I was impressed with the dreamlike quality of Yoo's narrative, how (deceptively) effortless the entire project felt. Having already appreciated this artist's work in such titles as Only a Witch Can Fly and So Many Days, despite finding both narratives (written by Alison McGhee) rather lacking, I was especially pleased that this was a book I loved for both story and illustration. Hopefully Yoo will write and illustrate more tales! show less

A little boy and his small, shy pet elephant are excited for Pet Club Day, but when they arrive, they're turned away: Strictly No Elephants. Saddened, the boy and his elephant leave, and they find a little girl and her pet skunk ("He doesn't stink") sitting on a bench. The two of them decide to start their own club where "All Are Welcome," and they fix up a treehouse in a park.

The text tells the story on its own, but the illustrations (linoleum block prints, pencil, Photoshop) do some heavy show more lifting too, really co-creating the story: the way that the boy supports the elephant when she is sad, and vice versa; the kids' and pets' eagerness to form their own club where all are welcome; the various outlandish types of pets that other kids show up with (armadillo, penguin, hedgehog, giraffe, even a tiny narwhal in a fishbowl).

A lovely story about how to take a disappointing experience of being excluded and turn it into a chance to make everyone feel included.

*

Re-read September/October 2020 show less