If You Like...Sunshine!

It's about this time of year when I realize how much I love, and miss the sun. If you love the sun like me, here are five books to read to help you imagine the warmth of the sun on your face. Hopefully, these will tide us all over until the spring makes an appearance.

Hello, Sun: A Yoga Sun Salutation to Start Your Day

By Sarah Jane Hinder

Sounds True, 2019. Picture Book

This book walks you through how to do the sun salutation poses in a poetic way. The illustrations are vibrant, and energetic. It also includes a note of the history of the sun salutation and yogis in India.

John Denver's Sunshine On My Shoulders

By Christopher Canyon

Dawn Publications, 2003. Picture Book.

Illustrations are set to the lyrics of John Denver's song, Sunshine On My Shoulders. This is just a bright, happy book that is sure to warm you up, and make you smile.

I Like the Sun

Written by Sarah Nelson

Illustrated by Rachel Oldfield

Barefoot Books, 2021. Picture Book.

The title pretty much sums it up, but this book shows children basking in favorite sunny places like the park, and beach. The poem shares all the great reasons to love the sun.

As Warm as the Sun

Written by Kate McMullan

Illustrated by Jim McMullan

Holiday House, 2019. Picture Book.

This is the story of Toby who loves his warm spot in the sun. When Pinkie comes along, Toby loses his sun spot, and all of the things he loves the most. But then he realizes that his new friend Pinkie is even better than the sun spot.

The Sun Shines Everywhere

Written by Mary Ann Hoberman

Illustrated by Luciano Lozano

Little, Brown and Company, 2019. Picture Book.

The mix-media illustrations are so happy and colorful. The book is told in rhyme, and it explores all of the places in the world that the sun shines. Through this book you can travel to places like Fiji, Switzerland, and Tokyo.

Comments

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

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