Swirl by Swirl uses bold, detailed illustrations and simple, poetic text to show us a variety of swirls and spirals in nature, and some of the places they are found. From ferns and flower petals to octopus arms and waves, this pattern shows up over and over again, and different descriptive and action words accompany it on each page.

This would make a great introduction (or follow-up) to Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci (see our review here), which covers this topic with more of a focus on the math, as well as on Fibonacci himself.

This book does bring up Fibonacci in the informational page at the end, but overall it focuses more on the beauty, ubiquity, and different forms of the spiral pattern rather than the math behind it (not to imply that these things are mutually exclusive).

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Joyce Sidman
Illustrator: Beth Krommes
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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Shelter is a gentle fable (originally published in French) that contains beautiful and absorbing artwork, full of earth tones and winter blues. In a forest neighborhood, a storm is coming. The animals get ready, but when a pair of strangers show up asking for shelter from the cold, they receive very mixed reactions -- but as the storm worsens, one family finds themselves needing shelter too. 

Different people will probably take different messages from this story (some reviewers see a possible "climate change" statement here since the visitors are polar bears), but for me the takeaway is that the best way to receive is through giving, and that compassion can breed more compassion. 

I thought the story was well told. Sometimes, the more important the message, the easier it can be for storytellers to communicate in heavy-handed ways, but I believe that was mostly avoided here, because the story can stand on its own. I assume the heart of this story is related to the current global refugee crisis, and if that's the case then this is a timely story indeed.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Celine Claire
Illustrator: Qin Leng
Pages: 42
Content Advisory: None

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I really enjoyed this informative book about the life of Andrew Carnegie. I thought the pace of the story was well done -- it covered important information without getting bogged down in words, and the illustrations were nice too. 

The narrative traces Carnegie's life from his poor beginnings in Scotland, to working his way up from factory worker to steel mogul in America, and then focuses on his charitable work building libraries all over the world. 

At the end there were a couple pages of more detailed information, including the aside that Carnegie's relationship with his workers was "complicated," noting how he clashed with employees who were trying to unionize. Although this wasn't what the book was about, I appreciated this tidbit because it helped avoid putting Carnegie on too much of a pedestal -- though it was certainly inspiring to read about how he believed his riches were for giving away, and rather than just starting "charities," he truly wanted to empower people to help themselves.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Andrew Larsen
Illustrator: Katty Maurey
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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Global issues like the refugee crisis can be difficult to talk to children about, but even though it is based on events that took place twenty years ago, From Far Away expertly communicates the universal need to belong somewhere, from the perspective of a child. 

Written in the first-person voice of young Saoussan Askar, this story briefly describes the danger of war in her native country (Lebanon, though I don't see this actually stated in the book), and Saoussan's struggles with integrating into the school in Canada, her new home.

She is scared by a skeleton decoration for a school play, and experiences other practical difficulties due to the language barrier. But as she learns English, Saoussan blossoms and begins to make friends and enjoy the activities in school. 

The illustrations in this book are very expressive and do a great job of communicating Saoussan's various emotions as she makes the transition from one country to another. This book is a wonderful way to help children hear about some of the many obstacles faced by those who make the brave decision to flee violence, even after the violence is behind them.

(Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle 
Authors: Robert Munsch and Saoussan Askar
Illustrator: Rebecca Green
Pages: 30
Content Advisory: The primary war description is on the first page when a bomb makes the family's roof fall in.

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The Lion and the Bird is a beautiful, contemplative story by Montreal author/illustrator Marianne Dubuc, and it was originally published in French. It tells the story of a lion who finds an injured bird in the autumn, and cares for it over the winter. But when spring comes again, the lion understands that the bird has to fly away with the other birds. 

One thing I love about the way this tale is told is that it makes space for sadness. Even though the book does leave us with a happy ending, we really feel the loss the lion feels as he walks sadly back to his house after saying goodbye. We watch him wordlessly trying to go about his daily tasks as usual, with the inescapable awareness that someone special is missing. "Sometimes life is like that," we are told. 

Not only is there space for sad emotions, but Dubuc gives space for the tale to be told in the first place. At 64 pages, the book manages to feel complete and well-rounded without being "long." It is not overly wordy either -- the sentences are fairly short and simple, going back and forth between the narrator and words spoken by the lion. 

The story itself could be summarized quite easily in a sentence or two, but the author makes use of white space, multiple frames, and also a few wordless pages to convey a linear narrative where even the small moments are important. This also gives space for the adult reader to point things out to a child, or ask questions ("How do you think the lion feels right now?") without disrupting the flow of the story.

This story is brief, yet thorough -- succinct, yet spacious, encompassing a look at each of the four seasons, the sadness of letting go, and the beauty of friendship.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Marianne Dubuc
Pages: 64
Content Advisory: None

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