That Morning by Toño Malpica


That Morning by Toño Malpica
Publisher: Windmill Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Mangrufo and Leuklaya don’t feel like themselves. Mangrufo can’t enjoy playing with toys or reading, like he usually does. Neither can Leuklaya. They hurt each other the day before, and both feel ashamed and lonely. However, neither one of them knows what to do with their feelings. It’s not until they come together once again that all feels right with the world. This book boasts a subtle monster theme within a real-world, relatable situation. Through powerful language and fantastical illustrations, That Morning is a guidebook through the difficult feelings of conflict and the power of forgiveness.

Everyone has conflicts with the people they love sometimes, but figuring out how to behave after a fight takes a completely different set of skills.

I was intrigued by how little time was spent on the only grown-up in this story. Mangrufo and Leuklaya’s relationship took center stage, and their frustration with each other was shared in ways that felt completely appropriate for their young ages. Normally, I’d expect their mother to swoop in and make things right between them fairly early on. The fact that she didn’t show up until much later gave these two characters all of the space they needed to explore their feelings and try to figure out what to do with them.

It would have been helpful to have more plot development. As important as the message was, the little ones in my life would struggle to understand it without a discussion about what happened afterwards because of how both of the monsters changed abruptly at such a late point in the storyline. I’m saying this as someone who loved the creativity of it and wished I could justify choosing a higher rating.

Some of the most interesting scenes were the ones that compared Mangrufo and Leuklaya’s feelings. We weren’t told who started the quarrel between them the day before or what they argued about, but it was clear that they both felt guilty for their behavior and weren’t exactly sure how to talk to each other after what appeared to be a pretty big fight. There is definitely something to be said for encouraging this sort of reflective thinking in this age group. Empathy is something that can take years to fully develop, but the faintest glimmers of it could be found here.

That Morning was a creative tale.

The Snow Queen by Claire Keay


The Snow Queen by Claire Keay
Publisher: Windmill Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Holiday, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The classic story of how Gerda saves Kay from the evil Snow Queen is depicted in this enchanting picture book. The entertaining narrative presents this beloved story in a way that allows for independent reading and for story time with an adult. Beautiful illustrations will inspire young readers to tap into their imaginations. This fresh take on a Christmas classic will get readers in the holiday spirit and excited for fun winter activities.

Friendship can make anything possible.

One of the things I liked the most about this picture book was that it didn’t require prior knowledge of the classic fairy tale that this was based upon. The narrator explained almost all of it quite clearly while still leaving room for readers who were already familiar with it to think of a few details from the original that were changed or left out. This also meant that all readers could use their imaginations in certain portions of the storyline which was delightful in many cases.

With that being said, I do wish the origins of the Snow Queen and her wicked specks of snow had been explained better. This was something I’d probably go ahead and talk about ahead of time with the little ones in my life so they’d better understand her backstory and motivation for doing the naughty things she did. While the plot did make sense without it, knowing about it would make certain scenes easier to explain to anyone who might wonder what was happening in them and why Kay was suddenly behaving so awfully.

The friendship between Gerda and Kay was wholesome and wonderful. They truly cared about each other. I enjoyed the scenes that described the sorts of things they did together before the Snow Queen came into their lives and changed everything. It helped to explain why Gerda was eager to go on her long journey to save Kay and try to get their lives back to normal.

The Snow Queen was a heartwarming fairy tale that works well for little ones.

Igor by Francesca Dafne Vignaga


Igor by Francesca Dafne Vignaga
Publisher: Windmill Books
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The only thing Igor knows about himself is his name. When he’s not busy playing, he likes to watch what the animals do, but why has he never seen anyone else like himself? Maybe it is time to leave home and go on a journey of self-discovery.

Where do baby monsters come from? More specifically, where did baby Igor come from, and what sort of creature is he?

I appreciated this picture book’s prudent and sparse use of language. It’s minimalistic descriptions of Igor’s life and thoughts fit his curious personality perfectly. Of course he wouldn’t bother explaining obvious things when he could be off having adventures instead. The audience could infer why he made the choices he did through careful observation, and that’s exactly what this reader did. It was delightful to come up with my own theories about what might happen to him next before discovering whether or not they were correct.

The ending didn’t quite seem to fit the themes of the beginning and the middle. After his long journey, I had certain expectations of what Igor would find and how he’d react to the answers he received about where he came from and who he was. It would have been helpful to have more development in this section as I did find it confusing based on everything that had happened to him earlier.

With that being said, I adored Igor as a character. His unflappable personality was the perfect fit for all of the unexpected twists and turns in his adventures. There was nothing that would stand in his way of seeking the truth. I did feel I got to know him well, but I can’t help but it hope there will be more stories about him coming in the future.

Igor is a good pick for imaginative and adventurous readers of all ages.