Review: If I Was the Sunshine by Julie Forgliano and Loren Long

IF I WAS THE SUNSHINE

by Julie Fogliano and

Loren Long

Atheneum Books

Picture Book

48 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING...
MAY 7th, 2019!!!

A breathtaking picture book about the relationships we share from New York Times bestselling storytellers Julie Fogliano and Loren Long in the tradition of The Runaway Bunny and Guess How Much I Love You.

if i was the sunshine
and you were the day
i’d call you hello!
and you’d call me stay

if you were the winter
and i was the spring
i’d call you whisper
and you’d call me sing…
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Through clever, thought-provoking verse and warmly evocative art, New York Times bestsellers Julie Fogliano and Loren Long explore the awe-inspiring nature of relationships, love, and connection.

 MY TIDBITS

This one is the best picture book I've read so far this year, and my kids agree.

Written in verse and reading like a gentle song, the pages not only pull in but make one stop and sigh. It's lovely...from beginning to end.  Simple and heart-warming moments are taken from nature and added with clever wording to demonstrate a cute and caring atmosphere. Taken by themselves, the verses can seem a little odd at time, but that's where the amazing illustrations come in. The picture make the point hit home and sink in.

This is a wonderful read for quiet moments, cuddle in a guardians arms or read to groups. Each two page spread carries a little wonder, a dust of humor, amazement and so much love. It's an addicting mixture.

This is one book which will be kept on our shelves and treasured for many years to come.

And here they are...

The Authors...
Julie Fogliano is the New York Times bestselling author of And Then It's Spring and If You Want to See a Whale as well as the poetry collection When Green Becomes Tomatoes and the picture book When's My Birthday. Recipient of the 2013 the Ezra Jack Keats award, her books have been translated into more than ten languages, Julie lives in the Judson Valley with her husband and three children. When she is not folding laundry or wondering what to make for dinner, she is staring out the window waiting for a book idea to fly by. 

Loren Long illustrated President Barack Obama's Of Thee I Sing; the newest version of The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper' Madonna's second picture book, Mr. Peabody's Apples; Nightsong by Ari Berk; Frank McCourt's Angela and the Baby Jesus; Love by Matt de la Pena'; and If I Was the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano. He also wrote and illustrated the Otis series and was part of the Design Garage for Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. Loren's work has appeared in Time, Sports Illustrated Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. He lives with his wife and two sons in Cincinnati, Ohio. Visit him at LorenLongcom