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Category: similarities

  • P.S. At the Window

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    Judy Butler
    in

    At the Window (2025) by Hope Lim arrived via interlibrary loan after my “Windows” post of January 26. I love this book, so here it is. Quin Leng animates this story with a friendly touch, often with multiple scenes per page. For example, when the main character walks their dog along a sidewalk, we see…

  • Windows

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    Judy Butler
    in ,

    There are almost always exceptional picture books at library sales. For just a few dollars, I bring home a variety of artwork that’s hidden inside them. Gary Blythe paints the seashore of a grandmother’s childhood. (1) Ted Rand shows a flock of sea birds as seen from the boat of a Vietnamese fisherman and his…

  • Learning to Love Books

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    Judy Butler
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    The cover art for Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp (2016) previews what’s inside the book. This is a gentle story about a child who struggles with reading. Madeline wants to read, but she doesn’t like to read because it’s difficult. She wants to earn stars for reading like her peers do.…

  • Let’s Support Human Creativity

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    Judy Butler
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    Rosa Bonheur wants to be an artist. Tomie dePaola wants to be an artist. Allen Say wants to be an artist. Each one embraces their aloneness and pursues a path that is different from their peers.  In The Art Lesson, Tommy wants to be an artist when he grows up, so he “drew and drew…

  • Rabbits Learn to Share

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    Judy Butler
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    If You Plant a Seed by Kadin Nelson (2015) is a beautiful book illustrated with lovely paintings. The cover is a close-up of a rabbit and a mouse that radiates light and color. It appears they’ve  collaborated to plant something. They gaze at a young seedling that’s emerging from rich brown soil. We can infer…

  • Black and White Drawings

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    Judy Butler
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    Picture books with black and white drawings are rare at library book sales. I’m always glad to discover one. Andrew Henry’s Meadow by Doris Burn (1965, 2005, 2012) tells of Andrew Henry Thatcher’s passion for building things. Andrew loved to piece together elaborate constructions. His mother could not tolerate the helicopter Andrew designed to hang…

  • Wessman and Wiesner: Serious Play with Paint

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    Judy Butler
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    I had the pleasure of meeting Robin Wessman at a local art show. The Provincetown Independent featured Wessman’s paintings in “Robin Wessman’s Destabilizing Reality” (March 20, 2025). In this article we see Wessman’s color and light leap off the page. Reporter Abraham Storer describes these still life images as “rendered realistically, with fastidious care given to…

  • Exquisite Collage x 2

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    Judy Butler
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    Once again, I came across two books with similar content. They are both beautiful. Dazzling pictures in colorful collage illustrate both.  Steve Jenkins and Robin Page earned a Caldecott Honor for What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? (2003). They illustrate portions of animals’ bodies and ask a question. For example, “What do…

  • Deja Vu All Over Again

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    Judy Butler
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    The Good~Bye Book by Judith Viorst and illustrated by Kay Chorao (1988) gave me a sense of déjà vu. It reminded me of Don’t Forget to Come Back by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Harry Bliss (2004). And for the third time, I find two books that are similar, but not the same. Both…

  • Why the limited palette?

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    Judy Butler
    in ,

    The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs by Kate Messner (2018) is the story of Ken Nedimyer’s heroic attempts to restore dying coral reefs. There’s more information, references, and vocabulary at the back of the book. A photo of Nedimyer is on the last page. I won’t be creating a Picture Book Talk lesson…