Thyra Heder

Sal loved the water. Wherever he was, he dreamed of it moving beneath his feet. So one day he set out to make a boat of his own, ignoring all advice and offers of help from his friends and the local townspeople. He had a vision of what his boat would be, and nothing would get in the way! As it took shape, some denied it was a boat at all, but this "Sal boat" (a floating houseboat) was exactly what was intended, and although no help was needed in its construction, everyone pitched in to get show more it into the water...

Sal Boat: (A Boat by Sal) is the fifth picture book I have read from talented author/artist Thyra Heder (or the seventh, if one includes the two titles by Maria Gianferrari that she illustrated), and it is every bit as engaging as I expected it to be. The narrative ably captures the sensibilities of an independent child who likes to accomplish things on his own, and who has the creative vision to make something extraordinary, while also highlighting that sometimes the community can be of use, even to those strong individualists. I appreciated the fact that the main text is enhanced and expanded in the dialogue between the characters, and found the watercolor artwork, which captures Sal's determination and perseverance, absolutely charming! Recommended to young children who dream of sailing out to sea in their own boat, or of making something of their own, be it a boat or a treehouse. show less

Uninspired by her homework assignment to track down three interesting facts about polar bears, Sophie is surprised indeed when one suddenly appears in her living room! Determined to share the beauty of his home with her, and to demonstrate that not all polar bears are 'mean,' Olafur takes Sophie on a voyage to the arctic. Here they observe the local fauna, listen to the whales sing, and take a nap on an ice floe. When their floe melts, and they wake up in the chilly sea, girl and bear must show more swim for shore, Sophie summoning unexpected aid when Olafur tires. Eventually safe on land, Sophie returns home better-informed about the arctic, and more sympathetic to its residents.

A lovely book, one both educational and entertaining, The Bear Report is a celebration of the power of curiosity and the wonders of the imagination. Whether actually read as a voyage of the imagination, one inspired by her homework, or as a more matter-of-factly magical journey, Sophie's experiences with Olafur offer young children a sympathetic portrait of an often misunderstood ecosystem. Although they are fearsome creatures - I just read a news article the other day about adult male polar bears eating their own cubs, because of food shortages in the arctic - this gentle tale subtly emphasizes (without mention of ursine infanticide, of course) that bears should not be judged by human standards. Sophie's report, seen in the illustrations on the final page - it begins: "They are not all mean, and even mean bears are just hungry" - drives this point home. The story itself also teaches young children, without any didactic fanfare, that polar bears and their wintry world are under threat due to climate change, as Olafur and Sophie find themselves in trouble due to the melting floe. The accompanying artwork, done in watercolor and ink, is just beautiful, capturing the wintry beauty of Olafur's world. All in all, an engaging and thought-provoking book, one I would recommend to young animal lovers, or to anyone looking for good picture-book adventures with a little more substance. show less

Asimple question—“How do you dance?”—meets resistance from one bespectacled youngster, who’s surrounded by a diverse, exuberant cast of characters displaying their signature moves in a range of settings and scenarios.

Heder perfectly captures the joy each figure finds in dance with muted watercolor-and-pencil illustrations against a white background. The serif typeface lends an authoritative air to the narrative voice’s descriptions of movement while playful hand-lettered text is show more sprinkled throughout to indicate characters’ responses to the “official” text. The typography also works with the book’s landscape format to emphasize the ways in which one might move—“FAST FAST FAST” in blurred italics and a drawn-out “sloooo o o o w w w w”—across a horizontal axis. The text’s organic, encouraging flow pauses at an official-looking chart that demonstrates such moves as “the swivel,” “the toodle,” and “the scoot” before taking an unexpected and delightful pirouette into the surreal: A full-bleed spread shows humans, including a dancer in a wheelchair, sharing a dimly lit dance floor (complete with disco ball) with dinosaurs, a robot, and horses. The reluctant dancer, who is not named or gendered by the text, has short dark brown hair and peachy tan skin and wears a green pullover with purple shorts and sneakers.

A gleeful, tender celebration of self-expression through movement, destined to become a favorite read-aloud. (Picture book. 3-8)

-Kirkus Review show less

When Little T declares that she is frightened of going to the zoo, her helpful family sets out to determine exactly what scared her on her last visit, impersonating an A-Z cast of animal characters in order to find out. Their creative interpretation and play - masquerading as this animal and that, donning intricate, handmade costumes - eats up the entire day, so that by the time she is ready, the outing must be put off. When the family finally do get to the zoo, they discover just who the show more scary creature was, and this time it is Little T's seemingly fearless older sister who is frightened...

Much like the author's subsequent The Bear Report - the only other Thyra Heder picture-book I have read - I found Fraidyzoo an immensely engaging book, one which presents a humorous and heartwarming narrative involving a loving, close-knit family, while also crafting an innovative exploration of the alphabet. I liked the fact that the reader must guess which animals Little T's family is impersonating, and that the 'answer key' (so to speak) is provided on the rear end-papers. The artwork, created with ink and watercolor, is immensely appealing, with a lovely color palette, an exuberant sense of motion, and many expressive details. Recommended to young animal lovers, to would-be zoo visitors, and to anyone looking for creative new alphabet books. show less