Synopses & Reviews
Good friends learn a small but important lesson
Owl and Rabbit are good friends and live in two small houses next to each other. They are perfectly happy . . . until Rabbit's garden gets in the way of Owl's view. So Owl builds his house a little taller. Only that blocks the sun from Rabbit's vegetables. So Rabbit builds his house taller. And soon it's a house-building frenzy and the two now not-so-good friends have the two tallest houses in the world!
All it takes is a gust of wind to remind them that maybe living smaller and together is a much better way to remain friends.
The creator of Meet Me at the Moon has delivered another wonderful animal fable for today's world.
Review
"Marino's breathtaking panoramas make an already powerful story sing."
Review
"The textured mixed-media art paired with the flowing text elevates this title above most missing-mama fare ... Radiating warmth and comfort, this distinguished title strikes home."
Review
"Heartfelt and sincere, yet never cloying, this will work well one on one or in story hours."
Review
Praise for Too Tall Houses by Gianna Marino:
"The animals are full of heartfelt emotions, from anger and frustration to happy contentment...This story about friendship and togetherness contains a great lesson without being didactic or moralizing and should be welcome in most collections." —School Library Journal, starred review
“…a story of friendship that youngsters can understand and relate to.” —Library Media Connection
Review
PRAISE FOR MEET ME AT THE MOON: "Marino's breathtaking panoramas make an already powerful story sing." —
Publishers Weekly,
starred review "The textured mixed-media art paired with the flowing text elevates this title above most missing-mama fare ... Radiating warmth and comfort, this distinguished title strikes home." —
Kirkus,
starred review "Heartfelt and sincere, yet never cloying, this will work well one on one or in story hours." —
Booklist
PRAISE FOR GIANNA'S SECOND BOOK, TOO TALL HOUSES: "The animals are full of heartfelt emotions, from anger and frustration to happy contentment...This story about friendship and togetherness contains a great lesson without being didactic or moralizing and should be welcome in most collections." —School Library Journal, starred review "The well-turned, dialogue-rich narrative complements the sunny visuals, making this an excellent choice for one-on-one or group read-alouds...Another winner for rising star Marino." —Kirkus, starred review “…a story of friendship that youngsters can understand and relate to.” —Library Media Connection
PRAISE FOR GIANNA'S THIRD BOOK, FOLLOWING PAPA'S SONG: "...exuberant and gorgeous..." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "...a heartwarming reminder of how children learn to trust and listen for papas songs in our lives." —School Library Journal, starred review
Review
Praise for Meet Me at the Moon by Gianna Marino: "Marino's breathtaking panoramas make an already powerful story sing." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The textured mixed-media art paired with the flowing text elevates this title above most missing-mama fare ... Radiating warmth and comfort, this distinguished title strikes home." —Kirkus Reviews
"Heartfelt and sincere, yet never cloying, this will work well one on one or in story hours." —Booklist
Synopsis
A story filled with suspense and humor, this classic tale of a town mouse and a country mouse takes a new twist in the imaginative and talented hands of Jan Brett. She introduces two engaging mouse couples eager to get away from their everyday lives. But when they agree to swap homes, they find unexpected adventures around every corner. Lush green scenes alternate with the elegant details of a fine Victorian townhouse to make a sumptuous and stunning picture book.
Synopsis
A heartwarming love story between mother and child
When Mama Elephant must leave Little One to ask the skies for rain, the young elephant is worried. Who will care for Little One? Who will sing Mama's special songs? When will she return?
Mama is very reassuring - Little One will hear her song on the wind and feel her love in the warmth of the sun, and, after the rains come, they will meet where the moon sets.
Exquisitely illustrated and supremely comforting, Meet Me at the Moon is a mother and child love story to be enjoyed again and again.
About the Author
With over thirty four million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer her family moves to a home in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."