The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler from Eerdman's Publishing

Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Hardcover: 42 pages
Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 978-0802854889

My thoughts:  The use of a collection of hues and shades of blues by the artist author to create The Blue Hour results in an engaging sensual delight. So many and varied creatures and objects exist that are of blue colorization and yet we miss it in our daily lives. Yes, we delight when we see a Blue Bird or a Blue Jay and we love blue flowers and blue skies, but there is more, so much more.

Isabelle Simler has gathered this variety from across the globe and all climates. And then she has settled them what is known, especially in the photographic world, as "The Blue Hour." Just what is "the blue hour"?

The blue hour (from French l'heure bleue) is the period of twilight early in the dawn each morning and late in the dusk each evening when the sun is at a significant distance below the horizon and the residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue hue. This effect is caused by the relative diffusibility of short blue wavelengths of light versus the longer red wavelengths. During the blue "hour" (typically a period about 40 minutes in length), red light passes straight into space while blue light is scattered in the atmosphere and therefore reaches the earth's surface. Many artists treasure this period because of the quality of the light. (source)

The children's picture book uses limited text with beautiful artistry predominantly in blues with vivid touches of other colors to tell the story of how the world and its creatures settle down for the night and it is such a gentle, sweet story.

Beautiful blue flowers and blue butterflies, moths, insects.

I found the book to be a treasure in that it is a gentle bedtime reading, an artistically beautiful book, educational in global placement of all the creatures, and an introduction into the "blue hour" phenomena. And there is also the two pages at the beginning with circles of named shades and hue of blue with will prove to be a great tool for identifying specific blues. A plus for any library collection which I highly recommend.

This global image shows each of the creatures featured in The Blue Hour and their location.

About the book:  A lovely and tranquil celebration of nature

The sun has set, the day has ended, but the night hasn't quite arrived yet. This magical twilight is known as the blue hour. Everything in nature—sky, water, flowers, birds, foxes—comes together in a symphony of blue to celebrate the merging of night and day.

With its soothing text and radiant artwork, this elegant picture book displays the majesty of nature and reminds readers that beauty is fleeting but also worth savoring.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Eerdmans Publishing to facilitate a review. Opinions are my own and I was not compensated.

Leather Shoe Charlie (Trade Winds Series) by Gyeong-Hwa Kim & illustrated by Anna & Elena Balbusso

ISBN: 978-0-8028-5473-5

Ages 6-10

My thoughts:  This interesting picture book takes the young reader into the stark reality of the British Industrial Revolution when a family of shoe cobblers moves from the village into the city of Manchester where machines, crowded streets, and more crowded tenement housing makes life for them and those around them barely sustainable.

The illustrations are "abstract-ish" and bold using browns, grays, blacks, and russet to take the reader into this new era. The story is sweet and teaches a lesson in sacrifice for those we love. Charlie is so happy and proud to wear the shoes his grandfather made for him. And in his new life the very fact that he wears such wonderful shoes causes folks to tag him with the name,"Leather Shoe Charlie." Even in the bleakness that was Industrial Manchester when labor laws were unheard of and hours for adults and children alike were long, hard, and sometimes dangerous, a ray of light shines in the sweetness of Charlie.

The book actually ends with two pages of facts about the Industrial Age, a new Global Economy, and a Timeline. These facts would be nice for classroom use and for homeschool units.

This Trade Winds Series promises to be quite good. I look forward to my next review in the series, Father's Road (a story of the Silk Road).

About the book: An appealing and educational story about the Industrial Revolution

Charlie's most prized possession is the pair of shoes his grandfather made for him. The shoes bring him comfort as he and his family leave their small village and move to Manchester. But the pollution from the city's many factories soon takes its toll on Charlie's mother. Unfortunately, the medicine she needs is too expensive, unless Charlie can make an exceptional sacrifice.

This fascinating Trade Winds book presents readers with an engrossing story while also teaching them about Britain's Industrial Revolution.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Eerdman's to facilitate a review. Opinions expressed are my own and I was not compensated

In the Night by Helga Bansch from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, 41 pages

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

ISBN13: 9780802854711

My thoughts: A really pretty book with whimsical drawings of animals as they sleep at night. The illustrations are charming and the pages each also have little pictures and details that add extra interest for the perceptive reader and listener.

Originally published in Europe, the book has a delightful sense of intellectual depth rare in children's books. While a true bedtime story that is gentle in its art and story about different critters settling down for sleep, there is a touch of mischievousness in the artists' conception - a child peers in from the outside as cat purrs behind the warm stove and tiny mouse is in the corner snuggled up to a ball. Or when leopard dozes on a branch (with leopard coat hung up on a coat hanger and ear muffs on a branch) and three mice stroll along under the leopard knowing they are safe. And then, of course, the child, Manu, sleeps peacefully in his bed with his cuddle toys.

As you reach the middle of the book, you flip it and begin again because at night things are not always what they seem to be. There is a dream aura to this part of the book as well as the illustrations. A bit bizarre, jumbled, and changed around. This can be interpreted when being read to the child as a funny sleep-change or it can be an opportunity to let the child know that dreams are often a bit mixed up and odd. This way he understands that if he, himself, dreams it is o.k. if things are mixed up.

Throughout the book, the moon is pictured in various stages. I just love the illustrations and their whimsical charm.

About the book: A whimsical and soothing bedtime story

At night, all the animals return to their homes to sleep. Birds dream in their nests, polar bears snore inside their ice caves, and children snuggle under the covers of their beds. Everything is in order. Unless, of course, it isn’t. Sometimes the world — or the book — gets turned upside down. And then things aren’t quite as simple.With its sweet, winsome illustrations, this book is perfect for sharing with children as they drift off into their own imaginative dreams.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Eerdmans to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own and I was not compensated.