Sara O'Leary

Author Sara O'Leary and illustrator Julie Morstad introduce us to Sadie in this lovely Canadian picture-book, detailing the imaginative young girl's many activities and games. From playing with friends down the street to those found in her beloved books, from turning boxes into sailing ships to becoming a mermaid, Sadie's imagination carries her everywhere she wants to go...

I initially tracked This Is Sadie down because I wanted to see more of illustrator Julie Morstad's work, after enjoying show more her art in such titles as Kyo Maclear's It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way and Julie Fogliano's When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons. The cover image here, of a girl in what looks to be a fox mask, was also a draw, given my interest in fox stories for children. I was not disappointed in the visuals here, finding them absolutely magical - the make-believe scenes were best, I think, with their deeply-colored backgrounds - and I thought that Sara O'Leary's simple descriptive text was well-matched to the artwork. This is a lovely depiction of the role of imaginative play in a young child's life, and it struck a chord with me, given my own games of make-believe, at a similar age. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for beautifully-illustrated stories celebrating childhood imagination and play. show less

Apicture-book affirmation of family diversity.

The opening double-page spread depicts a diverse class of 13 children sitting at their desks in a circle when their teacher asks them to share “what we thought made our family special.” The first-person narrator silently worries. “My family is not like everybody else’s.” The accompanying illustration shows one child, seated at a desk across the circle from the teacher, with eyes downcast, red cheeks, and closed body language. The show more following spreads are narrated by individual classmates who deliver matter-of-fact, often humorous commentary on their families, augmented by Leng’s appealing cartoon illustrations that lend humor and vitality to characterization. The broad diversity of family constellations is refreshing and ultimately soothing to the worried child from the first spread. After hearing classmates talk about having two moms, two dads, many siblings, divorced parents, a blended family, single parents, mixed-race families, a grandmother who’s “my everything,” and more, the narrator recalls a time when a woman at the park “asked my foster mother to point out her real children. ‘Oh I don’t have any imaginary children,’ Mom said. ‘All my children are real.’ ” This good-natured but firm response is both empowering and instructive, as is the welcome inclusion of a foster family in this thoughtful, needed book.

A-plus fabulous. (Picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review show less

Author Sara O'Leary and illustrator Qin Leng team up in this delightful Canadian picture-book, which explores all of the different kinds of families that exist. The narrator, participating in a class discussion of family, is afraid that their own might be considered weird, but after listening to the other pupils, realizes that families come in every size and configuration. Families with same-sex parents, adoptive and foster families, biracial families, families of color, families where the show more grandparent is the guardian, families where the parent is disabled - in the end, "a family is a family is a family..."

A sweet, happy, upbeat celebration of family, A Family Is a Family Is a Family has a little something for every child, and offers some gentle reassurance that while every family is different, they all have great value. I have enjoyed other books from both O'Leary (I Am Sadie) and Leng (Dear Baobab, The Better Tree Fort), so I was not surprised to find this one so charming. The narrative is simple but effective, while the artwork is immensely expressive. Together, they capture the simultaneously extraordinary and everyday nature of being in a family unit. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for titles that celebrate diverse families. show less

I was a lucky winner from Library thing’s giveaway to receive The Little Books of the Little Brontes as I have long loved and lived the story of the Brontes, who made up stories as children and continued to do so their whole lives.

Sara O’Leary begins and ends her tale with an inviting point of view. Speaking in second person, she immediately draws the reader in. “Many years before you were born. a child named Charlotte Bronte made a little book for her little sister Anne. If you look show more through the window of this house… you can see the two of them there…” The illustration of the atmospheric moor and the view through the window of two adorable little girls engaged in bookmaking will charm any young reader, particularly booklovers.

Cleverly, O’Leary weaves together the life of the four young Brontes and the tales in the little handmade books they created. With an appetite for stories, the children not only devoured them as readers, but also invented characters to write about. Branwell’s toy soldiers inspired endless tales as well. Briony May Smith’s lush detailed art, in an earth tone palette, envelops readers into 19th century life from cobblestone streets to the windy moors. She also conveys the innocence of the young Brontes, who are “a world unto themselves.” In one particularly brilliant illustration, Smith portrays the four children in a bedroom engaged in imaginative play, and the shadows on the wall capture what’s in their minds and the stories they weave.

The text only briefly mentions the later literary accomplishments of Charlotte, Anne, and Emily but intentionally states, “Let’s leave them there now,” emphasizing the joys of the bookmaking and indeed inviting young readers to do the same, even including a spread in the backmatter: “How to Make Your Own Little Book.” Also in backmatter is an author’s note, timeline, and sources. This tour de force between O’Leary and Smith is a not-to-missed tale that will spark interest for young children to learn more and will delight fans of the Brontes’ story. show less