Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Beauty in Nature with... WILLOW AND BUNNY by Anitra Rowe Schulte, Illustrated by Christopher Denise - REVIEW!

Today's a two-fer post sort of day!
Our first one was for the teen and adult readers, while this time around, we've got a Storybook newly available from Two Lions that'll draw readers of all ages for more reasons than you might suspect.  Ready to take a closer look between the pages of today's featured title?  Let's do it!  Ladies and gents, the title you've been waiting for...



by
Anitra Rowe Schulte
Illustrated by
Christopher Denise
9781542025690
Two Lions

About the book...
From a Caldecott Honor winner and New York Times bestselling artist and a Christopher Award–winning author, a beautiful, heartfelt tale of friendship, community, and hope after a difficult experience.

Bunny needs a new home. After a long journey, he meets Willow and knows he will be safe beneath her branches. Every day is theirs to share. Just Bunny and Willow, Willow and Bunny.

Then, one evening, an angry spiral whips through the wood. Every creature in the forest runs to Willow for shelter. As the storm rages, Willow shields and protects them with all her might. But when the calm returns, Willow’s beautiful branches are tattered, twisted, and forever changed. Bunny and the other creatures know it is their turn to help.

This beautifully told tale by a Christopher Award–winning author and a Caldecott Honor artist offers messages of friendship, community, and hope after a difficult experience.






This beautifully illustrated tale of a bunny looking for shelter, and finding so much more, really speaks to the heart.  If you've ever experienced any type of traumatic event in your life, I guarantee you, this will bring you to tears.  Grant it, they are momentarily tears of sadness for the change that was brought on both bunny and willow, but it soon passes to those of simple happiness, if not joy, as you come to realize that the strength and resilience born from those unexpected alterations just help their bond grow stronger.  If you've not had those life experiences just yet, I can definitely see this being a story that helps  you and/or younger readers understand change more easily.  It's not often easy to accept, but what we get out of it, and the lessons we learn can go a long way towards finding our own happiness once again.

A tale of a willow and a bunny, yes, but ultimately so very much more.  This is a story that will be held near and dear to my heart, as I not only revisit the story for that boost of strength, but reflect on the gorgeous images that grace every page.  A great addition to any personal or public library that will appeal to readers of all ages.


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About the author...

Anitra Rowe Schulte is the author of Dancing with Daddy, which won the Christopher Award and the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award. She has worked as a journalist for The Kansas City Star and the Sun-Times News Group, as a staff writer for Chicago Public Schools, and as a publicist. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and their three daughters. Visit her at www.anitraroweschulte.com, @anitraschulte on Twitter, and Instagram.


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About the illustrator...

Christopher Denise wrote and illustrated Knight Owl, a 2023 Caldecott Honor winner and New York Times bestseller. He is also the illustrator of many critically acclaimed children’s books, including Anika Aldamuy Denise’s Bunny in the Middle, Alison McGhee’s Firefly Hollow, and Anne Marie Pace’s Groundhug Day, as well as several in Brian Jacques’s award-winning Redwall series. Christopher lives with his family in Rhode Island. Visit him at www.christopherdenise.com, @christopherdenise on Instagram, and Twitter.



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Special thanks to the dream team at Blue Slip Media for the chance to bring this title to you and to Two Lions for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the illustrator, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. Keep an eye out for more celebrations featuring this title throughout the blogosphere and social media!


Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



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