Kevin Henkes

This has the beautiful simplicity of all Henkes/Dronzek books. Along with a brown dog, readers find a red ball, a purple flower growing in a crack in the sidewalk, an empty cardboard box patterned with oranges, and finally, a white kitten. The necessary caveats are given - the ball has been abandoned for many days, the box was out on garbage day, permission was obtained for the kitten - and suddenly, there's everything the kitten needs: a home, something pretty to look at, something to play with. A perfect storytime book for littles.… (plus d'informations)

Alice and her family travel from Wisconsin to Florida’s Sanibel Island for
their winter vacation each year, and this year Alice is particularly
excited. The family stays in the same cottage, Scallop, and revisits the
same friends and neighbors year after year, a tradition that is very
special to Alice. While her birthday always falls within the week of their
trip, this year Alice will turn 10, and she is excited for all the
maturity that double digits will bring. Alice is also convinced that this
will be the year she finds a rare Junonia shell to add to her extensive
shell collection.
The Junonia shell comes from a type of sea snail, and is typically found
washed up on shore only after severe storms due to its deepwater habitat.
Alice has searched for a Junonia for years, with no luck. There is always
the option of buying one in a local gift shop, but Alice has no interest
in procuring the prized Junonia in anything other than the most authentic
manner. That would be cheating. She just knows that this will be the year
she finds one.
It turns out, however, that things don’t go exactly as Alice had hoped.
Her beloved aunt Kate, who joins the family at Scallop every year and
dotes on Alice, is coming with her new boyfriend and his spoiled and whiny
6 year-old daughter, and even staying at another cottage on the beach. The
three friends who always stayed nearby with their elderly grandparents
weren’t coming to Sanibel Island this year. And the nearby cottage of
Helen, the eccentric and fun artist from New York City who always
remembers Alice’s birthday with presents, stands empty and dark this year.
With the gentle guidance of her patient mother and father, Alice slowly
comes to accept and cope with the disappointments that seem to come one on
top of another. The story spans only seven days, yet the reader knows that
this week is a turning point for Alice. Junonia is a gentle, quiet tale
about growing up, and the realization that life sometimes lets you down.
Henkes has created a character in Alice who deftly balances the line
between girlhood and adolescence. Her voice is authentic, and her worries,
fears, and disappointments are spot-on. Henkes perfectly captures the
world of a nine (almost ten!) year old girl in this sweet and absolutely
wonderful tale! ~KD
… (plus d'informations)