Books have always been magical to me, and while I had outgrown board books and the like almost as soon as I started reading (which according to my parents was really early), I (re)discovered my love for them when I became a parent myself. Now my kids have long outgrown board-books and picture books but I still enjoy reading them! There is something simply magical in their simplicity that many a time says a lot more, in that thrill of easy to read words that can be enjoyed by those beginning readers, and in those colors and rhymes that are almost a trademark of those books.

So today, I bring to you reviews of a few of those books that I have read at the same time hoping to increase that woeful NetGalley ratio of mine 🙂

This post contains affiliate links below. If you purchase through an affiliate link, I may get a commission at no extra cost to you. Please see the full disclosure for more information.
If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my newsletter – on the sidebar, right there! Thanks for visiting!

Magical Whimsical Picture Books

Owl Love You

Owl Love You
by Matthew Heroux & Wednesday Kirwan
Cameron & Company
Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Children’s Fiction , Outdoors & Nature
Pub Date 18 Sep 2018

GoodReads Description:

The sun is setting, time to rise! At dusk, when an owl’s day is just beginning, a baby owl asks questions and a mama owl offers comforting answers in this gentle, reverse bedtime book, featuring lulling, lyrical text and luminous illustrations of the nighttime world.

My Thoughts:

Hoo’ll hang with me when my friends aren’t around?

Owl hang with you when things feel upside down.

The sweet owlet is predictably wondering about so many things, and seeks answers and reassurance. And hoo better to comfort and answer her than mom.The book delivers on sweetness as mother owl shows little owlet all that is wonderful about their home, and lets owlet know that she’ll always be there for him.

I truly loved those little details that are captured in both the sweet, rhyming text and the gorgeous, colorful illustrations; as well as between them. For instance, the words from the book I added above use ‘hang with me’ and that is exactly what my kids (now older) say when they want to be their friends – ‘hang with’. And the illustrations accompanying these words – those mammals that hang upside down – bats 🙂

In Summary:

Hoo’ll love this book? Owll of us, I am pretty sure! Anyone who picks up this book will be delighted by it – both the illustrations and the words.
A book that portrays parenting so wonderfully! And on a side-note, I love that the authors are from the Bay Area (I do not know them, but it is always cool to read books from someone you might potentially run into!)

Rating: A
Reading Level: 4 – 8 years
Reread Level: 5/5

You can order the book from:

The Book Depository 

Or from Target

From Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Lion of the Sky

Lion of the Sky
Haiku for All Seasons
by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Merce Lopez
Lerner Publishing Group
Millbrook Press
Children’s Nonfiction , Poetry
Pub Date 02 Apr 2019

GoodReads Description:

you gasp as I roar, 
my mane exploding, sizzling–
lion of the sky!

Haiku meet riddles in this wonderful collection from Laura Purdie Salas. The poems celebrate the seasons and describe everything from an earthworm to a baseball to an apple to snow angels, alongside full-color illustrations.

My Thoughts:

I love haiku, and I love riddles. I also love Laura Purdie Salas. So, of course, I had to check out this book.

What did I (re)discover as/after I read this book:

• Riddle-ku are a fun way to introduce the young reader to the haiku!
• A fun way to think and try to answer the riddles. Note that you should first read out the riddleku to your young one before they look at the illustrations (at least on the first read) so they can try to answer it without any help from the beautiful helpful illustrations.
• Seasons come and seasons go; each one puts on its own show! So make sure you enjoy all of it – heat, fall-colors, rain, and snow!
• As with her other books, Laura Purdie Salas easily shows the reader that there are so many different ways to look at the world around us – from the dandelion to those brilliant fireworks that light up the sky:)
• Again, as with other books, a helpful resource is included in the last couple of pages. One of them is a quick guide to how to write your own riddle-ku. The second includes books for further reading and answers to the riddle-ku in the book.

In Summary:

The verdict, well of course, it must be clear by now – I love this book too! Check out Laura Purdie Salas’ website for free activities and to share any riddle-ku you write.

Rating: A
Reading Level: 5 – 9 years
Reread Level: 5/5

Pre-order the book from:

The Book Depository 

Or from Target  (best price on the physical book currently!)

From Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Ida and the Whale

Ida and the Whale
by Rebecca Gugger with illustrations by Simon Röthlisberger
NorthSouth Books
Children’s Fiction
Pub Date 02 Apr 2019

GoodReads Description:

What lies behind the sun, the moon, and the stars?
Ida can’t stop thinking about these and other very important questions. Then one night, a flying whale wakes her and takes her on an amazing journey—where some of her questions are answered and even more created.
This gentle, philosophical tale is a visual treat sure to fill curious little listeners with wonder.

My Thoughts:

A dream come to life via the pages of this book – that is what it felt like as I read this book. Simon Röthlisberger’s illustrations wow with their whimsy and are definitely the star of this book.

The story itself – as I mentioned, is dream-like, complete with narratives that seem to move randomly from one to the other and you wonder if you missed something, and you realize it is just a dream! You know, like a movie where the scene suddenly cuts to something else and you rewind back to a moment ago (if you happen to watch it somewhere where you can do that).

Since this is a book, I flip back a page to check if I missed a page but am fine. Once I decided to read it with the dream assumption, I totally enjoyed it.

And at the risk of repeating myself, the water-color illustrations that take your imagination on a wonderful journey, made it more enjoyable. I also loved how the text itself is printed on the pages, with different fonts and in unique ways to be more in line with the words being said.

In Summary:

If you love flights of fancy and whimsical illustrations, then this book is for you! Granted, this is not a book that works well for a read-aloud, but it does wonders to your imagination..

Rating: B
Reading Level: 5 – 9 years
Reread Level: 3/5 (4.5 for just the illustrations)

Pre-order the book from:

The Book Depository 

Or from Target

From Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and each publisher for the digital review copy of the books above. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any other way by the publishers or others for this review.

For Ultimate Blog Challenge and for IMWAYR (It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?) hosted over at Teacher Mentor Texts

This is for Day 7 of UBC (and I know it is the 8th already :))
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6