Chihiro Iwasaki (1918–1974)

The short and sweet story demonstrates appreciating what you have and being kind and giving. The illustrations look like water color painting and it is very simple. The simplicity of the images are beautiful. However, I do wish that there was a little bit more to the story because it did have a very brief plot and not much of a conflict. The only conflict that arose in the story was Allison feeling guilty about blowing out the candles, however it did not even mention if Judy was upset by it show more at all. show less

This version of Swan Lake by Anthea Bell is bleak. The illustrations by Chihiro Iwasaki are sparse, using mostly sketches and water colors. I would not really recommend this book for use in class. The story is darker and the illustrations provide little to connect to.

The book is about a little girl who's going to have a baby brother whose name will be John. She wonders what he will look like, and she wants to hold the tiny baby when he comes home.

Ages: 3-6

Source: Personal Collection