#blogbookaday: Life

Summary:  “Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel explore the beauty and tenacity of life.

Life begins small, then grows…

There are so many wonderful things about life, both in good times and in times of struggle. Through the eyes of the world’s animals—including elephants, monkeys, whales, and more—Cynthia Rylant offers a moving meditation on finding beauty around us every day and finding strength in adversity. Brendan Wenzel’s stunning landscapes and engaging creatures make this an inspiring and intriguing gift for readers of all ages.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review: The text and illustrations of this book are both absolutely gorgeous. With simple, poetic verse and soft landscapes with adorable animals from around the world displayed this book celebrates life and the natural world. This story would work well for young children, but could also work with elementary school age children learning about biomes or for middle school and high school students to talk about perseverance even through rough patches and changes.

Personal Reaction: I adore this story and I think it will be added to my personal collection as soon as I can get to a bookstore. I’m a huge fan of Cythina Rylant, author of the Henry & Mudge series as well as titles like The Relatives Came and Missing May. The text in this book is simple, yet powerful, sparse, yet full of meaning. As I said, I really enjoy these illustrations with a wash of colors and if you don’t smile when you see some of these animals’ faces – I don’t know what’s wrong with you!

Title: Life
Author: Cynthia Rylant
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Publisher: Beach Lane Books
Publication Date: June 27, 2017

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!