This Book of Mine

This short meditation by married cocreators Stewart and Small (The Gardener) opens as a young woman slips past a New York Public Library lion with a book clutched to her chest. "I take this book," Stewart begins, "to be my friend" (the girl, now settled on a city fire escape, begins to read); "To chew on it while you read it" (a mother and baby share a book as the baby gnaws one corner); "To grab for it when I need it" (a young bed-goer searches under the nightstand with a flashlight). Within amethyst-washed spreads by Small, the book covers are picked out in contrasting colors--a gray-blue beach read, the yellow-tinged covers of a J.S. Bach composition. The makers catalogue more book joys before a ringing final phrase: "A treasure for a lifetime, this book friend of mine." Small's ink-and-wash spreads concentrate in particular on the readers' faces; though they appear largely unrelated to one another, they emerge as genuine, ordinary people united by a love of reading. While the volume is unlikely to convert nonreaders, those who live and breathe books will understand the passion that Stewart and Small celebrate. Ages 3-6. (Aug.)

PreS-Gr 3--In a lovely salute to the power of reading, brief text meets exquisitely drawn pen and ink illustrations, brushed with a wash of purple. Stewart and Small showcase individuals of various ages interacting with books and include visuals of the shoes-off, stockings-only comfort of those deeply lost in their books, a baby chewing a tasty cover, or a reader taking a deep sniff inside a well-loved work. Whether it's reading aloud to an invisible crowd or finding pleasure while reading on a sandy beach, book lovers everywhere are encouraged to remember their own book friendship, a small "treasure for a lifetime" and a celebration of the devoted relationship between reader and book. VERDICT Bibliophiles unite. This is a glorious first-purchase for all libraries.--Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

"A lovely salute to the power of reading. . .Book lovers everywhere are encouraged to remember their own book friendship, a small 'treasure for a lifetime' and a celebration of the devoted relationship between reader and book." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Stewart and Small celebrate the friendships between books and readers. . .A book likely to be snapped up by book lovers." —Kirkus Reviews

"Those who live and breathe books will understand the passion that Stewart and Small celebrate." —Publishers Weekly

The Quiet Place:
"A warm, gentle portrait of an immigrant's isolation and the ways that creativity and a loving family can offer both a safe haven and a bridge." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A moving, memorable portrayal of one child's immigrant experience." —Booklist, starred review

"Stewart and Small offer a stirring, backyard-size metaphor for the determination and drive for self-betterment that characterize the immigrant experience." —Publishers Weekly, starred review