Spring has sprung, and with it all our spring 2016 books have sprung to the shelves in bookstores and libraries near you. Although we love all our books, we are always delighted to find that the critics love them too. Here’s the proof — a roundup of all the starred reviews EBYR books have received this season:
Mom, There’s a Bear at the Door
Written by Sabine Lipan
Illustrated by Manuela Olten
“Lipan’s text, translated from German, recalls the rhythmic cadences of Remy Charlip’s classic Fortunately. Olten’s colorful, full-bleed artwork with reds and greens predominating imbues the characters with barrelfuls of personality. Verbal and visual humor abound.” — Kirkus starred review
“[A] charming, ingeniously crafted German import, with a funny conversation between mother and son. . . . Author Sabine Lipan skillfully captures the simultaneously reasonable and improbable imaginings of a young boy. Illustrator Manuela Olten’s playful, deliciously creamy acrylic paint and colored pencil artwork will have readers longing for their own unexpected forest visitor.” — Shelf Awareness starred review
Samira and the Skeletons
Written and illustrated by Camilla Kuhn
“This Norwegian import is icky and unsettling even while being a guffaw-inducing exploration of the human body, complete with comically exaggerated anatomical drawings of what lurks beneath our skin. Beyond the guaranteed giggles, Kuhn adds a subtle teaching moment: by presenting Samira with dark skin and her best friend with lighter skin, and then showing both of their skeletons (and later, somewhat horrifyingly, muscles), Kuhn highlights how much we are the same underneath.” — Booklist starred review
“Entertaining insight indeed.” — Smithsonian BookDragon starred review
Parachute
Written by Danny Parker
Illustrated by Matt Ottley
“The simplicity and sincerity of the story is well known and oft told. Yet this is also a story of perspective. Parker’s remarkable digital images portray Toby’s fear in exaggerated depth, height, and sense of danger with an added air of whimsy that amplifies his circumstances as only a child’s imagination can. This is an extraordinary picture book that will delight yet inspire discussion by young children and slightly older ones as well.” — School Library Journal starred review
For more on Parachute, see our Five Questions interview with illustrator Matt Ottley and read his “Books in the Big World” post here on Eerdlings.
Night Guard
Poems by Synne Lea
Illustrated by Stian Hole
“By turns enchanting, unsettling, and profound, this nonlinear, free-verse meditation, first published in Norway, unfolds much like a dream. . . . Unusual and thought-provoking for readers of all ages, this collection glows.” — Booklist starred review
