Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “The Little Girl and Her Shadow” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I love Picture Books:
Ever since I was a young child, I’ve adored picture books due to the artistry of the illustrators and the stories the writers weave into the illustrations. Visual story-telling was an active part of my childhood, as I loved books for young readers who had full illustrative plates alongside the narrative and dialogue inasmuch as I have had a fond affection for television and motion pictures. To see a story set in motion by art is akin to watching a story come alive on the stage (live theatre) because the story is hinged to how the person who is internalising the story will see how the images and the words come alive for them inside their imagination. Motion pictures do not leave as much of a window of separation between how you interpret the story and how the story is lit alive for you to see it.
Picture books are a hidden gem in the Children’s Lit branch, and even as an adult, I oft-times borrow quite a heap of picture books from my local library. I try not to keep them out too long, as I know the children in the county will want to see them as well, but many times, I am among the first to check them out even as they are released. My local librarians said that parents are not oft to think to seek them out and by checking them out, I’m helping to alert the parents that something is quite keen about the books themselves and they in turn, might take a chance on them for their own children. This is a trend amongst the young adult, juvenile fiction (Middle Grade) and adult titles I regularly check out as well. I’m not sure why I have to be the first or one of the first (in some cases) but if I can help alert a parent or another reader to the blessing these books are bringing to all of us (young or old), than I do get a bit of joy in knowing I’m helping the greater good.
Picture books of the 2000s have a bit of a leg- up on the picture books of the late 1970s through the 1990s, in that there is a lot more of them releasing per year, verse how you had only a small fraction of what is available today back then. I believe this is in part due to the popularity of illustrated stories and a true love for illustration as an art form as a whole. Whichever reason gave this branch of literature a Renaissance, I’m celebrating it because I find the most thought-provoking stories are not always inside of a novel, they’re contained inside a picture book!
It’s a goal of mine to feature more Children’s Lit on Jorie Loves A Story, and part of that showcase will be picture books, because I want to seek out and highlight the writers who are bringing life lessons and beautiful coming-of age stories to the illustrated stories section of a bookshelf!
The Little Girl and Her Shadow
by O.K. Reade
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Alexa Terry Hanson
Source: Direct from Publisher
In a tiny town, in a quiet place,
Lived a little girl with an angry face...
She hated her school. She hated her friends.
She hated the rules. And in the end,
All she was able to let anyone see,
Was her decision to live miserably.
When a grumpy little girl refuses to change her ways, her shadow decides to run away! Soon the little girl is off on an adventure to win back her shadow, find out why it left, and perhaps learn to appreciate all the things she already has.
Filled with fun illustrations and rhyming text, this is a book kids will love. With an intriguing storyline, it's perfect for the whole family.
Places to find the book:
Published by Sweetwater Books
on 14th April, 2015
Format: Hardcover Edition
Pages: 32
Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Hardback, Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #picturebook, #KidsLit
One of the key aspects of a well-writ and conceptionalised picture book most include a breadth of illustrations which not only illuminate the writer’s words and anchour the reader into the context of what is being expressed through the story, but to have dimensional space where you want to live inside the illustrations because they take-on a realism of their own. When you first open The Girl and Her Shadow you discover a world of lollipop-pink and girly attributes of what a young girl’s room and environment might look like when awash in feminine colours. This is a world of fairy-tales, teddy bears, unicorns and all things sparkly and girlhood. Yet, what truly captures your attention is the ‘girl’ whose on the brink of losing her shadow – her emotional convictions on her face illustrated the dialogue evolving in her head.
You can definitely make a connection between the words Reade is expressing to expedite the story alongside the illustrated gems Hanson has added to the book itself. Both are giving a grounding of how this girl is approachable and understood, simply because a window into her world is properly established. You start by seeing her pout sitting cross legged on her bed, in a state of (apparent) boredom whilst contemplating something a bit more hearty than how to whittle away the hours.
There is a beautiful tempo to this story, where you can quite easily articulate a lyrical flow to the words if spoken aloud to a child who has not yet learnt to read on their own. I would imagine the pace of the story, being built out of musical prose and a lilt of joy with the back-story flowing as freely as it is, an early reader would gravitate towards this picture book because it’s a delight to read. As the words come into your ears your being given a story which rhymes and flows as effortlessly as a listening to a song.
In the opening, you can denote her attitude is not bent on the positive in her life but only on the things in which she truly despises. So blinded by her angst, she cannot appreciate one iota of happiness which regularly enter her life as she goes about the motions of her daily life. The illustrations paint the picture quite well, as she goes from being contemplative to expressing her emotions on her face in such a way as to depict a conversation if she were to speak the words aloud.
Bright, bold, and colourful plates of illustrated story boards align with the text in a cohesive fashion, to where it was a true joy of my own to read this picture book! I loved the beautiful arches of colours, where the girl remains true to her inner pinkish soul whilst the world around her is true to it’s own environs too! Her personality is evident throughout, as even a mug of hot bliss is adorned by her favourite animal the unicorn! A lot of care, thought, and attention was placed on the continuity and I commend the illustrator and the writer for working in such a collaborative way!
Despite her Eeyore grumpiness and her Oscar the Grouch irksome ire on any little bit of joy a little girl’s life could include, she attracts the attention of a classmate who reaches out to her with a friendship not met with kindness nor grace. The route in which her shadow exits reminded me a bit of how Pan lost his shadow and how tricky it is to get it to re-attach! Yet, this is a story of coming-of age as much as how to re-align a character trait which is marred by negativity and a tendency to only view life from a pessimistic point of view.
As the girl goes through a day without her shadow she starts to see the world a bit differently as her world-view expands through the friend who attempts to show her what true friendship is all about. Not just friendship, but the underpinning merit of how to approach your life and your circumstances. To view the world with a fresh pair of eyes, not akin to the negative but to see how joy and mirth of living in the moment can fill your world with a overflowing waterfall of happiness, if only you can see and believe the magic held within an ordinary day. Childhood is full of little moments — the discoveries around your home, school, and the world within your towne. It’s meant to be a learning and growing experience, to bolster your self-confidence and to knit a healthy curiosity about the world at large. We can effectively choose how we live through life, and if we elect to go through it with a shadow of ill will, nothing but frowns and furrowed brows will greet us. Yet, if we allow joy to alight on our shoulders as innocently as a butterfly smiles, happiness will walk in and give us a warm glow of a smile!
Which avenue of life’s journey would you choose to walk, if a picture book gave you a moment of contemplation to re-examine how your living your own life?
This is a picture book to be gifted
to every reader of any age who has lost
their ability to see the joys in their life.
Give them something to ponder,
whilst giving them back a bit of what they’ve lost!
This Blog Tour Stop is courtesy of Cedar Fort, Inc.:
Visit the Virtual Road Map of “The Little Girl and Her Shadow” Blog Tour:
Don’t miss my previous reviews of picture books:
- A Moment in Time by Jennifer Butenas
- The Olive Tree by Christine Layton Graham,
Joan Layton Merrell, Carol Layton Ogden
Find out what I am hosting next via Cedar Fort in 2015!
Visit with me again soon!
{SOURCES: Author photograph, Author Biography, Book Synopsis and Book Cover of “The Little Girl and Her Shadow”, Blog Tour Badge and Cedar Fort badge were provided by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media and used with permission. Illustrated Stories Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva. Post dividers and My Thoughts badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets embedded due to the codes provided by Twitter.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2015.
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