Sally Lloyd-Jones

The bright-eyed young narrator of this amusing new picture-book from author Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrator Neal Layton walks the reader through the process of creating a book. From coming up with a Good Idea to figuring out your audience, creating an appropriate title to determining what comes next, there are many steps to writing a book. Then, of course, comes the process of promoting it...

Look! I Wrote a Book! (and You Can Too!) was quite a hoot, and I found myself chuckling aloud on show more more than one occasion, as I read through it. The section about choosing an appropriate title, in which the girl narrator reads a book called "Monsters Will Eat You!" to a line of horrified babies, was absolutely hilarious. Then there was the fact that "Cleaning My Room" was labeled a "tragedy." Ha! I definitely would have identified with that as a girl. Both educational and entertaining, this is a book to put in the hands of would-be writers and book illustrators, to show them all of the steps that go into making a book. show less

Author Sally Lloyd-Jones explores, in poetic text, all of the people and things that make up a child's home, from family members and pets, to yard and swing. Expanding a bit, she also explores the child's wider world a bit, from biking through the neighborhood, to playing with friends. The accompanying artwork, done in gouache and pencil, depicts a beautiful, sun-drenched world, somewhere in the country, or in a small town.

Unlike some online reviewers, I was not put off by The House That's show more Your Home because I thought it was depicting a neo-conservative Norman Rockwell-esque world, or attempting to hark back to the 1950s. On the contrary, I found the illustrations here, which were based upon artist Jane Dyer's grandchildren and their home, the best thing about the book. As a long-time big city dweller, I relished the glimpse they offered into a less developed area than the one in which I currently live, however idealized that world might appear. There is a diverse range of children depicted, in the scene dealing with the young child's circle of friends, making it clear that although this might be a white family, the world being depicted is not (contrary to said reviews) an "all-white" one. Leaving that issue aside, although this is a beautiful book, visually speaking, I found it sadly wanting, from a narrative perspective. The text is awkward and sometimes rather obscure, and I kept thinking, as I read along, that greater simplicity in execution might have done wonders for it. My three-star rating is chiefly for Dyer's lovely artwork, otherwise this one is largely missable... show less

A hat-loving pooch with no friends to speak of, Mr. Pockles longed to attend Hat Day at the PandaPolitan Club. Unfortunately, only pandas were allowed. Then, while out buying himself a treat, he encountered Lady CoCo Fitz-Tulip, and stepping into the breach when that lady's hat was ruined, won both a coterie of friends and an invite to Hat Day...

A fun, engaging tale of a lonely individual who finds a way, through his favorite article of clothing, to connect with others, author Sally show more Lloyd-Jones' story in Hats Off to Mr. Pockles! is paired with bright, colorful artwork from British illustrator David Litchfield, whose own picture-book debut, The Bear and the Piano, was such a winner. I loved the illustrations here, quite a bit more than the text (not that the text was poor, mind you), and it therefore annoyed me that on a number of the two-page spreads the artwork was printed in such a manner that the gutter interfered with the reader's ability to enjoy the visuals. There were spreads where the gutter ran right through Lady Coco's face, for instance. This is a design flaw, rather than an artistic one, I think, but it interfered with my enjoyment a bit. Leaving that aside, this is a picture-book I would recommend, both to readers looking for children's stories about kindness and making friends, and to fellow fans of David Litchfield's illustrations. show less

Three New York City children - H, Little O and Baby Em - are stuck in their hot, stuffy apartment one summer, together with their Grandpa and their three goldfish. Things don't look so great, until the fountain in the local park is refurbished, and a sign is posted inviting the neighborhood children to bring their pet goldfish for a stay. It looks like the fish, and through them the children, might have a fun summer vacation after all...

Apparently based upon a true story - from 1992 through show more 2005, volunteers maintained the Robert Ray Hamilton Fountain in New York City's Riverside Park, allowing local children to put goldfish in it - Goldfish on Vacation is an engaging holiday tale for the picture-book set, pairing an entertaining text with bright, colorful artwork. Colombian-born illustrator Leo Espinosa, whose work I first encountered just recently, in Junot Díaz's lovely Islandborn, creates another visually arresting title, one which captures the excitement that these three siblings manage to experience during their city 'staycation.' Recommended to all young children who worry that their vacations won't be any fun, as well as to all new fans (like me) of Espinosa's artwork. show less