Ivy in Bloom by Vanita Oelschlager 🌒🛁📱

Thank you to NetGalley and VanitaBooks, LLC for the ARC. 🌠🌠🌠
Three stars.

Yes, if you must know, I'm on a Oelschlager binge. I'd rather binge books than food, but now I'm thinking about a good cup of tea.

The illustrations for this were done by Kristin Blackwood. Love that last name, so dramatic sounding. It made me sigh.

The cover is so sweet, I love wild flowers and the font used it really creative, you know it's going to be poetry before you even read the word poetry.

... I'd almost wished that I'd had this book when I was a child, but the random religious ending that totally came out of nowhere took me off guard and reminded me of my grandparents whom don't speak to me because I don't go to church. I still respect religion. I just wouldn't read this over and over like I would with Vanita's other books. It's still a beautiful book of prose and the art is cute as heck.

I think this would make a great gift to a young christian girl. The art is totally worth it and the prose is good, I enjoyed it even despite the religious ending. I was just caught off guard I think.

This would be great for a sunday school library too! A+

Fish-Boy: An Inuit Folk Tale by Vanita Oelschlager ♿🧜‍♂️🛁📱

Thank you to NetGalley and Vanita Books for the ARC.

🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠
Five Stars!

Vanita Oelschlager did it again! Honestly her children's books are great.

The art by Mike Blanc is stunning, I am especially in awe of that map on the first two pages. Beautiful. I always do love a fantastic book filled with art. This story is set in the Arctic region of North America. The Inuit people talk of unbelievable folk tales to explain the mysteries of our world. In Fish-Boy: An Inuit Folk Tale, Oelschlager, Vanita tells us a story that was passed down by a wise Inuit elder. It's a story with a little magic and a boy on a journey with his father.

Can I just repeat myself about the whole art thing? The art is just soft and digital all at once, it reminds me of some of my favourite kid's books from the 90s that were vintage because my mum collected them. The art done in a lot of vintage children's books are intricate in their details and sense of softness that every child needs.

Can we talk about how well this is written, just for a moment? It's obvious research has been done, and it's obvious there is passion about the subject in this children's book. I can imagine, right now, seeing a mother reading this to her children as they trace the art with their hands.

The overall point to the plot/story was a good one, one that will teach children to be kind and care for one another.

This is my favourite book so far, from Vanita. Absolutely wholesome.

A story like this would fit in anywhere; it could complete a classroom or bedroom selection of books.

Signing off.