Caron Levis

Fed up with bedtime, Gabby Wild drags her Granny on a madcap adventure through Never Sleeping City in this entertaining picture-book romp. But when Granny gives in to a yawn, the soporific after-effects begin to spread, despite all of Gabby's efforts to contain them. Soon all of Never Sleeping City is beginning to yawn, and to nod off. Gabby herself, now back in bed, yields to the power of the Sandman, although the narrator assures us that her dreams were wild indeed...

An absolute delight of show more a picture-book, Stop That Yawn! is, despite its denials midway through the book, very much a bedtime tale. Entertaining and ultimately lulling, it pairs an engaging story from author Caron Levis with immensely appealing artwork from illustrator LeUyen Pham. I thought that the yawn's contagious nature, depicted in the artwork as a kind of cloud that sweeps through the city, catching everyone with whom it comes into contact up in its soporific effect, was very well communicated, with the visual depiction perfectly suited to text, in which Gabby rushes around trying to stop it. As everyone know, yawns are indeed contagious, and hard to stop, once they get going. Recommended to anyone looking for fun bedtime books. show less

Perry knew every one of her mother's shoes, and the sounds made by each pair suggested various fun activities to her. But then one day her mother put on a different kind of shoe - a click-clack kind of shoe - and for the very first time, they didn't spend the day together. Deciding to hide her mother's work shoes, so they wouldn't be parted again, Perry found herself foiled, and once again spending the day with Nan. Was there a way for her mother to show her that the shoes which took her show more away in the morning would bring her back in the evening...?

Pairing an engaging story, complete with onomatopoeia, with appealing artwork, Mama's Work Shoes explores a common childhood experience: learning to adjust when one's mother reenters the work force. I have vivid memories of just such an experience, when my own mother went back to work, the year I was six. I didn't handle it very gracefully, truth be told, so I identified with young Perry's feelings here, and appreciated the way that Mama handled the situation. This is the fifth picture-book I have read from author Caron Levis, and although I wouldn't describe it as the equal of some of her earlier work, it is a solid tale. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories about working mothers. show less

A young girl must contend with the squishy, sloshy creature known as the Blooz in this understated but affecting picture-book exploration of sadness. After attempting to resist the oozy, wet creature, the girl eventually accepts his presence, spending some time with him, and even taking him on a bike ride. It is only then, in the bright sunshine of a beautiful day, that the Blooz finally disappears...

I found the personification of melancholy here - the eponymous 'Blooz' is a creature show more representation of those all-too-common blues - quite effective, and think many young child reader/listeners will as well. The narrative in Stuck with the Blooz has a quiet quality to it that works very well in communicating the emotional state of the girl, while the artwork, created digitally by Jon Davis, has an appealing quality that reminded me a bit of Peter H. Reynolds. High praise indeed! Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books that explore the emotional lives of children, particularly the experience of sadness. show less

This spare, beautiful and heartbreaking picture book was inspired by two real life polar bears, Ida and Gus, who lived at Central Park Zoo. The book imagines the grieving process for the two bears as Ida gets sick and dies. Gus finds comfort in remembering his friend. This could be a helpful book for children who are dealing with the grief, but be warned that any adult who reads this will likely cry.