Quote of the day: "Except a living man, there is nothing more wonderful than a book. "
-Charles Kinsley
Today's book is by a Canadian author and artist. It is fun to review a book that
is written and illustrated right here at home. Her books have won her awards and
I am proud to highlight her here.
Title: Starring Me and You
Author and Illustrator: Geneviève Côté
Ages: 2-5
This is a sweet tale about two good friends, bunny and pig. Pig's sidekick frog is also featured and copycats his friend every move and mood. They have decided to put on a play and together they hang the stage curtains which they attach to two step ladders. Bunny wants to be a flower and sing a duet but she hides behind the curtains because she is so shy. She has a spectacular garland of leaves that she uses as her costume. Pig, on the other hand wants to be a pirate on a shipwreck because she thinks flowers are so boring. She sports a pirates hat as her prop. They argue and try to persuade each other why their idea is best and why they should get their way. In the heat of the argument some of bunny's petals get ripped off by her friend and Pig's hat gets abruptly taken. Finally they see how badly they have been behaving towards each other and feel sad and ashamed of their behaviour. They apologize, make up, and together, side by side put on the best stage show ever.
The illustrations are wonderful and the range of emotions and feelings covered are vast. The book is simple but opens up a dialogue about learning to co-operate, sharing, and playing nicely together. I highly recommend this book.
Other books by the author are:
* The Lady Shalott (2005)
* What Elephant (2006)
* Me and You (2009)
* Without You (2011)
* Mr. King's Things (2012)
* Mr. King's Castle (2013)
* Starring Me and You (2013)
About the author/ illustrator:
Geneviève Côté’s mother is an artist, so there were always paints and colors available at home, as far back as she remembers. As she learned to write, Geneviève created stories about her (then) favorite animal, a mouse. This interest for both words and images never waned, so she eventually studied Art and Graphic Design at Concordia University in Montreal to become an illustrator. Her love of mice, however, didn’t survive childhood.
Over the years, Geneviève has been lucky enough to turn many talented people’s words into images. She has illustrated a number of books for children, includingThe Lady of Shalott by Tennyson, Minn and Jake by Janet S.Wong and La Chambre Vide by Gilles Tibo. She also enjoys writing her own stories: What Elephant?(Kids Can Press, 2006) and With you Always, Little Monday (Harcourt, 2007) were the first books that she both wrote and illustrated.
Her editorial art has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and other such publications. Her books have received three nominations for the Governor General’s Award for Illustration, one of which went on to win, and she has also won the the Elisabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award.
Geneviève likes meeting young readers and authors-in the-making, in schools here and abroad, and lives in Montreal, Quebec.
Book Review rating:
8 (Fantastic!)
Read on and read always! Have a great day everyone!
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