HEATHER PIERCE STIGALL
  • Books
    • Paisley's Big Birthday
  • About
    • Meet Heather
    • Press Kit
  • Appearances
  • Resources
    • For Writers
    • For Educators & Readers
  • Ramblings & Reviews
  • Contact

REVIEW: IT’S NATIONAL EAT OUTSIDE DAY!

8/31/2020

0 Comments

 
​The days are growing shorter which makes me kind of sad, but I’m trying to savor the last days of summer. One of the ways I’m doing this is by being (and even eating) outside when I can. The book I’m reviewing today encourages the reader to appreciate the outside. And it’s gorgeous! 
​
TITLE: OUTSIDE IN
AUTHOR: Deborah Underwood
ILLUSTRATOR: Cindy Derby
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/2020
OPENING LINES: 
Once 
we were part of Outside 
and Outside was part of us.
There was nothing between us.
Now
Sometimes even when we’re outside…
we’re inside.
Picture
​This is the kind of book you want to give a big hug. First off, the illustrations are GORGEOUS. The back page says that Cindy Derby used “watercolor and powdered graphite on cold press paper” and that “some of the lines were created with dried flower stems and thread soaked in ink.” How fitting to create illustrations for a book about the outside using elements of the outside! Deborah Underwood’s lyrical text are just as beautiful as the art. She draws the reader inside the book to remind us to appreciate the outside. She incorporates our senses and our imaginations to bring a love for the outside into our hearts. This is a book I want to own so I can read it over and over. Give it a read. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
 
Read this review on Goodreads & Amazon.
0 Comments

REVIEW: HAPPY AVIATION DAY!

8/19/2020

0 Comments

 
​As the daughter of an aviator, I’m particularly happy about today’s holiday. And what better way to celebrate than to read a picture book about a woman who invented an airplane. So, without further ado, I present to you: 
Picture
​
​TITLE: WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane

AUTHOR: Kirsten W. Larson

ILLUSTRATOR: Tracy Subisak

PUBLISHER: Calkins Creek/2020

OPENING LINES: 
To Emma Lilian Todd, problems were like gusts of wind: they set her mind soaring.
Sometimes the problems seemed small, like where to find metal to craft her inventions. (Solution: she saved tin cans from her supper.)
But soon Lilian’s challenges ballooned.
​Emma Lilian Todd lived in a time of key inventions—the telephone, the sewing machine, the light bulb—but not usually inventions designed by women. That didn’t stop Emma Lilian Todd. Kirsten W. Larson tells the story of a woman who loved to tinker, to find out how things worked, to invent, and to re-think and re-design. Most importantly, this is the story of a woman who tried, and failed (and failed and failed), and then learned from her failures to see her dreams achieved. This book focuses on one part of Emma Todd’s life, but also captures little tidbits of her as a child and other fun facts. Some of my personal favorites were the story of her taking apart a clock & not being able to put it back together successfully (my dad did the same thing with a watch when he was a child), the quote about Lilian’s mom always encouraging her and making sure she had the tools she wanted (my dad taught me how to use tools from a young age), and the mention of her invention taking over her apartment. So many children (and parents) will relate to projects that take over their room, yard, basement (I grew up with a tinkerer dad who always had several projects going in our basement and garage). This book is inspiring story about a lesser-known woman in history who, through trial and error and perseverance, achieves her goals. It includes actual quotes from Lilian Todd, an author’s note and additional backmatter, and lovely illustrations by Tracy Subisak that depict the early age of aviation. This book soars to the top of my list of recommendations for nonfiction picture books—please read!
 
Read this review on Goodreads, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
0 Comments

REVIEW: LET’S CELEBRATE FRIENDSHIP DAY!

8/2/2020

0 Comments

 
​Friendship Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in August. Let’s celebrate by reading two picture books that showcase two very different friendship stories, but are both perfect for summer!  
​
​TITLE: SWASHBY AND THE SEA
AUTHOR: Beth Ferry
ILLUSTRATOR: Juana Martinez-Neal
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/2020
OPENING LINES: 
Captain Swashby loved the sea. The sea and he had been friends for a long, long time. She knew him in and out, up and down, and better than anyone.
So, when Swashby retired, it was to a small house on a small beach as close to the sea as he could be. Whenever he needed something, the sea provided exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.
Picture
​This is a story about the relationship between an old sea captain and the sea. They have a longstanding friendship, and, as the opening lines suggest, the sea has provided Captain Swashby with “exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.” So, when a young girl and her granny move in next door and disrupt Swashby’s serene life, readers will delight in the way the sea “fiddles” with Swashby’s attempts to make them go away. As someone who grew up near the beach, I love the idea of the sea as a character, who fiddles with messages written in the sand. I also love the dreamy, sea-colored images of waves, sandcastles, and sea creatures. And I cannot get enough of the human characters in the book. Captain Swashby is salty! He’s the kind of grump you want to hug, and I love how Juana Martinez-Neal draws his red nose peaking above his wiry beard and his hair which even looks like ocean waves. The little girl is the perfect little someone to turn Swashby’s saltiness into something a little sweeter. She’s playful and oblivious to Swashby’s annoyance, just like a typical child. She and her granny are just adorable! As a picture book “addict” and a huge fan of both Beth Ferry and Juana Martinez-Neal, I can say this book did not disappoint. This book has everything I love: illustrated end papers, dust jacket with a differently-illustrated cover, beach waves, sand, sandcastles, seagulls, sea captains, little girls & grannies, a friendship story with heart, dreamy illustrations, and even ice cream, lobster, and s’mores on the beach. Run, don’t walk to your library or bookstore and grab yourself a copy of this book!

Read this review on Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
Picture
​
​TITLE: DUSK EXPLORERS
AUTHOR: Lyndsay Leslie
ILLUSTRATOR: Ellen Rooney
PUBLISHER: Page Street Kids/2020
OPENING LINES: 
The sun begins to sink.
The neighborhood beckons…
Looking for tree climbers
who love to monkey from branch to branch
to see who can soar the highest
and find courage in the roughness of bark
And the gentle flutter of leaves.
This book is just lovely. Reading it brought back memories of long summer days when my friends and I would spend as much time outside as possible catching fireflies, playing tag, and exploring the nearby stream & woods. Since my children do the same things now, this shows how this book has a timeless message. Lindsay's lyrical text pairs perfectly with Ellen Rooney's dreamy illustrations. A great read for summer or any time!
 
 Read this review on Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
0 Comments

    About Heather

    Heather is a busy wife and mom of five rambunctious children and one lovable pup They all provide lots of distractions, but oodles of inspiration.  Sometimes the pictures and ideas in her head turn into her own children's stories, but she always makes time to read other people's books. Sometimes she reviews them here.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    January 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Books
    • Paisley's Big Birthday
  • About
    • Meet Heather
    • Press Kit
  • Appearances
  • Resources
    • For Writers
    • For Educators & Readers
  • Ramblings & Reviews
  • Contact