Today's read hits a super sweet character and sends him on a journey to catch a star. I thought the cover was adorable and was very curious what this little penguin would be like. The book is coming out March 28th...and I'm just going to already say that this is one you might want to keep your eyes on. Yep, it's going onto my possible favorites of 2023 list!
A STAR FOR MAMA
by Ashling Kwok
Illustrated by Kathy Creamer
Little Pink Dog Books
Picture Book
A baby penguin tries to catch a shooting star for his mama’s birthday but gets lost along the way.
Will Kip ever get the chance to show his mama how much he loves her?
Find out in this charming story that celebrates the power of love and the special bond between mother and child.
BOOK DEPOSITORY: https://www.bookdepository.com/Star-For-Mama-Ashling-Kwok/9780648964131
PUBLISHER: https://littlepinkdogbooks.com/a-star-for-muma/
MY TIDBITS
This is such an adorable, cuddle-up-with read, which takes a cute penguin, mixes it with Mama-magic and chases the stars.
Kip is a baby penguin, who loves his mother very much. While star gazing, his mother comments how beautiful the stars are, and that sets off an idea. Kip has decided that he's going to secretly catch a star for his mother. This isn't as easy as he'd hoped, and soon he's off on adventure.
This books has so many things, which make it grabbing. Firstly, there's a sweet, baby penguin, who is as innocent and loving as can be. Then, there's the mother-child love, which will have young readers and listeners wanting to snuggle up with their own parent. With the search for a star, a little excitement sets in, and humor as well as danger, too. Of course, the ending rounds it off to guarantee smiles and warmth, making it rounded and enjoyable.
These penguins live on a green beach with grass and a friendly dog staying nearby. They live in wooden boxes which are buried in the beach. This will confuse some young listeners and opens up an entire conversation about these habitats for penguins. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't something in the book about this, but that disappointment is very small, since there is tons of other goodness.
There are small things in the details, which make this really a lovely read. For example, Kip attempts to chase after stars with his net, stumbling along, and not even noticing that a fox almost gets him. These extras add things for listeners to discover with future reads, and give the entire thing a little more depth than many picture books have. Also, there is a list of penguin facts at the end, which adds to the learning fun.
The illustrations are very well done and create wonderful scenes. Kip comes across adorable and, yet, a little clumsy...but then, everything is nicely laid out.
In other words, this is an adorable read with tons of goodness, too.
And here they are...
Ashling wrote her first picture book when she was 14 years old. Although it never saw the light of day, Ashling knew from that day onwards that she wanted to spend the rest of her life writing for children.
After graduating from University, Ashling went on to become a journalist before setting up her own freelance writing company. Over the years, Ashling’s work has appeared in a number of newspapers and magazines, and she is a regular contributor to a variety of online publications.
Ashling’s first picture book, Where’s my Dinosaur? (Yellow Brick Books) is due for release in late 2019. This will be followed by Lola and Grandpa (Little Pink Dog Books) and The Battle (EK Books) in 2020.
When she’s not dreaming up new ideas or working on her latest book, Ashling can be found scouring local bookstores, marvelling at all the wonderful books being created by talented children’s authors.
Kathy has always dreamed of illustrating children’s picture books, but the opportunity to do so didn’t present itself until her own children arrived. Since then she has written and illustrated many award winning picture books. When not busy creating her own artwork, Kathy helps run Little Pink Dog Books with her husband, Peter.
Kathy’s recent publications, where she has either written or illustrated, the content are Cock-A-Doodle-Doo! (2022), Lucky’s Horse Shoes (2022), Peanut (2022), A Squiggly Line (2022), Mr Ming and the Mooncake Dragon (2021), The Big Old Rambutan Tree (2020), Join The Armidale Parade! (2019), Bigger Than Yesterday, Smaller Than Tomorrow (2018) and See Monkey (2018).
Kathy is looking forward to illustrating Ashling’s next picture book A Grandma to Love, in 2023.
1 comment:
That is a really cute cover.
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