A little girl, Fern, is searching for Joy to bring it back to Nanna’s life. Fern enjoys Nanna butterfly’s cakes and her Snowball cat, but she likes her smile best. Little Fern is fond of her grandmother and determined to bring happiness to her life when she finds out from her mother that Nanna has lost her smile. She equips…

Christopher Silas Neal is the author and illustrator of the award-winning picture books featuring animals, a notable example being I Won’t Eat That. The Cat doesn’t want to be conventional; she won’t eat her Cat’s food. Determined by her choice, she meets other animals, such as the field fox, tropical animals, such as the chimp and the elephant, and savanna…

A Cat Called Waverley by Debi Gliori tells the story of an unusual ginger cat who experiences the impact of the war. Even though Waverley was born in a park, she lives a spoiled life surrounded by many friends. The best one of whom is Donald, a warm-hearted man who gives Waverley food, a bed during the night, and a…

Max and Bird is the third book of the ‘Max’ series created by the award-winning and New York Times bestselling writer and illustrator of picture books, Ed Vere. Two distinctive characters with different ideas about friendship. Who will stay true to its values? “Max is a kitten.” He conforms to the notion that “kittens chase birds”, a statement not warmly accepted…

A fantasy tale about kindness and forgiveness is the debut picture book Umbrella by the Guatemalan-born author and illustrator Elena Arevalo Melville. This book review contains spoilers. Clara is a primary-age girl who feels lonely because of the absence of friends. Otherwise, ‘the park would have been perfect ….’ Until she discovers a magical umbrella that brings joy to her and…

Gina from Siberia is written by the American mother-daughter team Jane Bernstein and Charlotte Glynn. Jane Bernstein is the receiver of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships in Creative Writing, and Charlotte Glynn is a filmmaker. The spectacular pictures created by Anna Desnitskaya, a Russian illustrator nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, enhance the book’s assets. Gina from Siberia is…