Winter is the Season for Pleasure Reading-Warm up with Excellent Titles
By Selene Vasquez
Picture Books: Ages 5 thru 8
A Nap in a Lap
by Sarah Wilson.
Illustrated by Akemi Gutierrez.
(CIP, unpaged, $15.95).
" It's easy to nap/tucked into a flap..." reflects a sleepy toddler surrounded by her stuffed cuddly toys. Parent/baby pairs are displayed in all the tranquility and security of naptime. Retro gouache art exudes as much joy and comfort as the sweet verses.
Fiction: Ages 8 thru 12
The Butterfly's Dream: Children's Stories from China
by Ippo Keido.
Illustrated by Kazuku Stone.
(CIP, unpaged, $15.95).
Ancient stories from as far back as the Chou Dynasty (369-286 B.C.E.) woven together by the flight of a butterfly. Delicate watercolor illustrations enhanced by swirling Chinese calligraphy.
Nonfiction: Ages 8 thru 12
Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude
by Louise Borden.
Illustrated by Erik Blegvad.
(CIP, unpaged, $18.95).
18th Century English carpenter turned clock maker, John Harrison spent over 40 years perfecting a timepiece for determining longitude on the open seas. Precise and handsome illustrations alternating between black and white sketches and watercolor paintings.
Once Upon A Starry Night: A Book of Constellations
by Jacqueline Mitton.
Illustrated by Christina Balit.
(National Geographic, 26 pp., $16.95).
Stories with astronomical topics stemming from the Greek and Roman pantheon of gods, goddesses and monsters. Shimmering foil stars in lush double page spreads. End papers illuminate the Northern and Southern skies for imaginative journeying.#
Selene S. Vasquez is a media specialist at Orange Brook Elementary School in Hollywood, Florida. She is formerly a children's librarian for the New York Public Library.
