Dianna Hutts Aston

Author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Julie Maren join forces in this lovely picture book about the journey of an orange, from blossom on a tree, in a "land that glowed with spring light," to luscious fruit being harvested and transported far from its origin place. Selected at a grocery store by a young boy one January, the orange is shared by a group of friends, who enjoy its sweet taste while playing in the snow...

I greatly enjoyed An Orange in January, both for the thoughtful, engaging narrative and for the lush, gorgeous artwork. I have read a number of Aston's other picture books—notably, her An Egg Is Quiet and its many wonderful companions—but this is the first time I have encountered Maren's artwork. Sadly, it would appear that this is one of only two books she has illustrated. In any case, I think this would be an excellent title to use with younger children, in order to explore the theme of food, from source to table, particularly in an the context of food which must travel long distances to reach its destination. For my own part, I hope to track down more titles from Aston, as well as the other picture book from Maren.… (més)

Beetles, those little winged creatures who, with their approximately 400,000 known species, make up 40% of insects worldwide, and 25% of all known animal species, are the subject of this lovely picture book from Diana Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long, the author/illustrator team responsible for such titles as An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient, A Rock Is Lively, and A Nest Is Noisy. As with those earlier books, here there is a dual format, with a poetic macro-narrative that gives general, descriptive information—"A beetle is shy. A beetle is kaleidoscopic. A beetle is colossal... or microscopic"—and a micro-narrative that imparts more details. Topics touched upon include the beetle's life genesis from egg to fully-formed insect, the varying sizes of beetles, where in the world they can be found (all over!), their activities, forms of self-defense, and lots more...

As with its predecessors, I greatly enjoyed A Beetle Is Shy, appreciating its dual narrative approach, which I think makes the subject accessible to children at a variety of stages, drawing them in with the more poetic narrative and then giving them more information. As always with this series of books, I also loved the accompanying watercolor artwork, with its beautifully vivid color palette, and its many charming little details. The decorative first and last pages here (not the endpapers, which might be covered up by taped-down dust-jackets in library copies) were as lovely as ever, depicting a variety of beetle species. All that being said, I couldn't help but feel, as I finished the book, that it didn't quite live up to some of the earlier books from this team. It's somewhat shorter, and seems to cover less. It also struck me that some of the information one discovers later on in the book, such as what makes a beetle a beetle, distinguishing it from other kind of insects, might have been better placed toward the beginning of the book. Leaving that aside, this is still a beautiful and engaging book, one which could introduce young children to the wonders of the world's coleopteran species. It is for that purpose that I would recommend it, perhaps to be followed up by a title giving a more specific and comprehensive treatment to the topic.… (més)

Diana Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long, the author/illustrator team who produced a series of beautiful and informative picture books exploring various aspects of natural history for children—An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Butterfly Is Patient and A Rock Is Lively—return in this fifth title, this time examining nests. As with the previous titles in this vein, there is a dual format here, with a simple, poetic macro-narrative—"A nest is noisy. It is a nursery of chirp-chirping... buzzing... squeaking... peep-peeping... bubbling... babies"—and a more informative micro-narrative, giving more details about the diverse range of nests being presented. From birds to hornets, cactus-protected to stream-bed-located, created from gathered materials or from substances made by the parents themselves, a wealth of different nests is explored...

As with its predecessors, A Nest Is Noisy pairs an entertaining and educational narrative with absolutely gorgeous illustrations. I appreciated the fact that a variety of nests were included, as I think some children may incorrectly assume that only avian species raise their young in this way. I also appreciated the way in which the narrative emphasizes both the commonalities and differences in these various nests—a duality to be found in all of these nature books from Aston and Long. The artwork is, as always with Sylvia Long, a pleasure to peruse, with gorgeous use of color, and beautifully-captured animals and nests. The decorative endpapers—a lovely feature of all of Aston and Long's books—here show nests at the front and hatched young creatures at the rear, but here they have been placed in interior spreads, with more generic decorative endpapers (with what looks like nest material) at the actual front and rear. I would imagine this design decision was made because otherwise the beautifully decorative endpapers might be partially obscured by dust-jackets, which in certain circumstances (such as with library books) cannot be lifted. All in all, this was a worthy follow-up to its creators' other books, and has whetted my appetite to track down the two subsequent titles (I have a little catching up to do). Recommended to young nature lovers, and to anyone who is an admirer of Sylvia Long's amazing artwork.… (més)