Ana Braga-Henebry

J. R. R. Tolkien

Book Cover
Author(s): 
Alexandra Wallen
Illustrator(s): 
John Wallen
The author and illustrator pair have done many children's picture books together, including the nice "Picture Book of..." American history series. The interesting and wonderful thing about Tolkien's life isn't easy to tell in a book for kids, because they were the things living inside his heart: his intelligence and discipline, his hard work, his love and dedication to his wife and children, his faith. This picture book tells the life of the renowned author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and it was a life of sorrows, and very ordinary.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Book cover: Our Lady of Guadalupe
Author(s): 
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Illustrator(s): 
Tonya Engel

I never cease to marvel at the wonder-full story of Guadalupe. This new picture book does a fabulous job of retelling it, with historical accuracy, gentleness, and vibrant illustrations. This lovely book will make a very nice gift to a child, and the child's older siblings and parents will enjoy it as well. 

Saints and Their Stories

Author(s): 
Maria Loretta Giraldo
Translator(s): 
Margaret Edward Moran
Illustrator(s): 
Nicoletta Bertelle

This is the translation of a lovely Italian book for children. I love the uniqueness of the style and illustrations. The stories are filled with anecdotes and details of the saints' lives not found in other books about saints for children. Truly a gem-- we will read it aloud during Religion this Fall. Do visit the Publisher's site as they have a neat flip-the-pages "look-inside" feature.

Getting Started with Spanish

Author(s): 
William E. Linney and Antonio Luis
This is very much the same method used in the author's other language book entitled Getting Started with Latin, which I also reviewed at http://www.love2learn.net/node/1793. Amazon reviews are consistently positive and this reviewer agrees. Lessons are presented at times in tiny digestible pieces, and build from there. Since my native language is very close to Spanish, it was so interesting to me to see how Lesson One was all about articles-- so important in Romance languages: all four lines and five examples. Job done.

Saint Clare of Assisi

Author(s): 
Marianne Lorraine Trouve, FSP
Illustrator(s): 
Mary Joseph Peterson, FSP
With warm, cute illustrations, and accessible language, the courageous story of Saint Clare comes alive in this little book! Young readers will be captivated by the story of a girl who gave up everything for the love of God! Her many miracles, her life in poverty, the love she had for Saint Francis and her sisters: it is all in there. A final chapter explains how the order grew and subsequent decisions made about it-- for instance the changing of its name to the Order of Saint Clare in 1263. There are also a beautiful prayer and a glossary for terms that may be unfamiliar to young readers.

The Beautiful Story of Jesus

Author(s): 
Maite Roche
Translator(s): 
Marianne Lorraine Trouve', FSP
This is the second book by the French author Maite Roche I review for Love2Learn. Her illustrations are simply wonderful: simple, colorful, kid-friendly, warm, adorable, and yet with plenty of detail! In this volume she is able to retell the life of Our Lord for children and readers will find there most of the important events of His life on this world. From the Annunciation to Pentecost, the text will lead the child to all of the highlights of Jesus' life. The main events of His life are there, and also the Sermon on the Mount, the Multiplication the Bread, and more.

Pippo the Fool

Book cover: Pippo the Fool
Author(s): 
Tracey E. Fern
Illustrator(s): 
Pau Estrada

I heard this story long ago... most certainly from my story-telling aunt, who had the power to do exactly what this phenomenal books does: to turn real life stories into a delightful tale for children!

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau

Book cover: The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau
Author(s): 
Dan Yaccarino

Like many parents our age, I grew up with Jacques Cousteau, the Frenchman who brought the life below the water level to everyone's homes via TV and films. Here is a colorful, friendly picture book about his life and accomplishments. Curious episodes of his life and his conservation efforts are explained in simple language. Also, beautiful, direct quotes from him are found throughout the colorful book, such as:

Building on Nature

Author(s): 
Rachel Rodríguez
Illustrator(s): 
Julie Paschkis

Like most art students and lovers, I have had mixed feelings about the architecture of Gaudi all my life. When our oldes son visited Barcelona and sent pictures of Gaudi buildings, I planned on learning more about him. Now I find this new and remarkable picture book telling children about a man who was perhaps little understood during his lifetime.

Follow the Line Around the World

Author(s): 
Ljungkvist, Laura
We love geography in our house! And I love it when I find books that bring geography to little ones! This picture book invites the young child to follow an imaginary line around the world, highlighting interesting facts about different places in every continent. [This review is still under construction.]

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