“Windy debuts a new series collaboratively produced by Robin Mitchell and
Judith Steedman which is specifically designed for pre-readers and early
readers ages 3 to 7. Windy is a little girl who loves to fly her big, blue
kite on wonderful windy days. One day, when the wind blows her kite away,
Windy sets off to find it — and a delightful adventure ensues. A highly
recommended and entertaining read, Windy is enhanced with easy and
complete do-it-yourself instructions for making a kite, along with playful maps
to trace Windy’s adventure.”
—Midwest Book Reviews


“playfully ingenious...The volume’s compact size lends the action intimacy,
drama and a magical sense of verite.
—Publisher’s Weekly


beautifully designed with photographic illustrations evocative of 60s puppet
animation classics, Dick Bruna, and eastern European children’s books.
— Reading Frenzy


“So charming I gasped when I saw it”
—Wish Jar Tales


“This is a work of art... The story couldn’t be more simple — Windy loses
her kite and finds it again — but it has all the elemental charm of a
‘Winnie the Pooh’ vignette.”
—Georgia Straight


The reader cannot take his/her eyes off the decorations on each page
while Windy looks for her kite...Without forgetting to express our own nature,
we’d like to enjoy life just like Windy...
—Shift, Japan
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For younger readers (and even more escapism), I can't think of a better
summer choice than Sunny. This book, from children'd publisher
extraordinaire Simply Read Books is a follow-up to last year's Windy.
It too features the adorable little wooden boble-headed puppets, engaged in
whimsical tableaux, created by artists Robin Mitchell and Judith Steedman.
But where Windy was all about kite flying, Sunny is about making
music and having a hootenanny of a good time.
The book comes with a CD of sunny songs by such recording artists as
Veda Hille, the Dept., Piano, Destroyer, and Jennifer Hanson and
the Fraser Academy's Grade 4 class.

—The Vancouver Sun
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Shaun Tan's story begins with a redheaded girl still emerging from sleep.
She sits listlessly in her bed as leaves drift slowly down to the
floor of her room."Sometimes the day begins with nothing to look forward to,"
she observes.Tan shows us the day that the girl goes on to imagine, portraying a
dreamy otherworld in which the fantastic becomes real.

The nameless heroine trudges through her surreal surroundings with her head down, not even looking up when a giant fish, mouth agape, casts a shadow over her as she shuffles down a shadowy street, alone among strangers.
Later she is cast adrift on a sea of troubles, peering dejectedly over the bow of her tiny skiff, a tiny figure amid towering ships.

By the time she finds herself in this storm-tossed vessel, she has
already reflected that "the world is a deaf machine without sense
or reason," alongside other gloomy observations.

The story ends om ahopeful note, though, when we are returned to the girl's
bedromm, where those leaves that fell earlier have been magically
transformed into a brilliant crimson tree.

The Red Tree's somber tone may strike a chord with those
pre-adolescents and Smashing Pumpkins fans among
us who have already taken note of the unsettling uncertainty of life.
And the artwork is first-rate
—The Washington Post

Another stunningly beautiful children's book from Simply Read Books is
The Red Tree, which has a much darker vision.
The text and illustrations are by Australian writer and artist
Shaun Tan. In something like 50 words or less,
we undertake a journey from despair to hope. It's an eerie, haunting
and ultimately joyous book, perfect for illuminating a long dark night of
the soul for readers of all ages
Here's the thing about this book, and practically everything else
published by Simply Read Books: When you see it, you just have to have it,
whether you have a child to give to or not.
—The Vancouver Sun
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In many of the watercolors, versions of familiar Renaissance paintings
which echo the action of the story are subtly tucked into the scene.
A well designed, brilliantly illustrated, new editon of the classic.
—American Library Association Booklist

Simply Read Books’ The Adventures of Pinocchio is one of the most handsome
books in recent years. Ghiuselev pictures a wholly convincing world.
The Fairy with Blue Hair is in iconic descent from Madonnas by Piero della
Francesca, and adds psychological depth to Ghiuselev’s interprtation.
The final painting, in which the Blue Fairy gives life to Pinocchio, is
surely one of the most original and beautiful transformation scenes in children’s illustrated literature.
—Times Educational Supplement

Magnificient full-collor paintings and drawings in a jaw-droppingly
beautiful oversized edition.
—New York Times Book Review

Ghiuselev has added a tremendous atmospheric effect to the story.
The artwork is expressive and poetic. The illustrations break out from their
framework to give body and substance to the characters and objects
featured on each page and the end papers are reminiscent of those created by
famous master printers many centuries ago. It is a pleasure going through the
pages and savouring each of the many captivating illustrations. This is the
perfect gift book for Christmas and a collector’s item in its own right.
—Book Trust Foundation

This is a book to treasure, both for its illustrations and sheer, loving book craft. Simply first rate.
—Locus

A treasure of a book and a gift to be remembered.
—The Midwest Book Review

This book should bring pleasure to readers young and old for years to come.
Go out and buy two copies — one for yourself and one for someone you love.
—The Vancouver Sun

A must buy.
—The Georgia Strait
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"... a welcome and highly recommended addition to
any family, school, or community library picture book collection... "
—The Midwest Book Review

...The Illustrations perfectly reinforce the somber tone of the story.
The soldiers are drawn in grey tones with touches of khaki, against which
the robin shines brightly, as does the momentary triumph of the human spirit...
Altough the incident may be completely fictional, the book stands as a powerful
story and could be easily paired with L.Granfield's "In Flanders fields" or M.Foreman retelling of the 1914 Christmas day cease fire in "War Games"
—School Library Journal
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"The Little Black Hen is one of the most loved fairy tales in Russia.
World renowned painter Gennady Spirin’s glowing illustrations bring to
life this classic tale retold for a new generation "
—Elizabeth James
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"Very simple, Byron Barton-like art featuring a dozen mites with engagingly oversized, googly eyes overcomes iffy rhyming and even iffier biology to offer a deceptively sophisticated sequence of math and design concepts. It beguins and ends with a bug - actually a caterpillar- who provides the supporting base for various combinations of creatures- from a spider and a pair od snails to worms, bees and finally a tiny flea, all of whom arrive or depart piecemeal, perch together in various acrobatic architectures, them finally disperse after the inevitable collapse. Verbal pratfalls aside, this makes a playful way to take that first, challenging step past simple addition, offering plenty of practice in both counting and pattern recognition. "
—Kirkus Reviews
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Kid's Review

“A book about differences and friendships--but so much more. The wry sense of humor, the whimsical drawings, and the use of rare word vocabulary make this story excellent for reading to four- and five-year-old children. Research shows the connection between the size of oral vocabulary and children's later reading success. Children's books that do not pander to young children, have complex plots and engage children in higher order thinking skills are exactly the type of children's books educators are looking for. Parent can't go wrong reading this one to their preschoolers. "Inconvenience, acquainted, occasionally, occupation, content, stretched, uncomfortable and unnecessary" are just some of the 50-cent words included. Children will delight in how the little person and the big person solve their problems.”

—Karen Sheaffer, Early Childhood Facilitator, Hanson Initiative for Language and Literacy, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston


"The Day It All Blew Away affirms, celebrates and supports human uniqueness; a message sorely needed help counteract the conformity messages in much of today’s modern media for children (TV: everyone should be like Barbie, Video Games: Everyone needs to be this kind of consumer!). Recommended."

— Keith McPherson, CM Magazine
Keith McPherson has been a primary and elementary teacher and teacher-librarian in BC since 1984 and is currently the coordinator of the Language and Literacy Education Research Centre at the University of B.C.


 “The Day It All Blew Away is a playful look at the complexities of life and friendship and the challenges and gifts of heads and hats. Beautifully produced and broken down into 3 parts, Cinar's book can be enjoyed on multiple levels by readers of all ages. If you love children's books you should have this one. If you don't believe me, ask the kids. The following reviews are from children in my class.”

— Kyla Kinzel, Visual Artist and Art Program Director who works on a variety of arts-based programs with adults and children

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Kid's Review
““I liked the book because it was funny and because it was surprising that they weren’t perfect fits for each other.” —Connie Woo, Grade 5


“This book did not end like the other books.
—Ka Hei, Grade 5


“I liked it ‘cause it’s funny and didn’t end like many books end.”
— Prya, Grade 5


“I liked the pictures and it was so so funny!”
—Marian, Grade 5


“I liked the story because it was so funny. I couldn’t stop looking at the story!”

—Angela, Grade 5


“This book was very funny and the illustrations were AWESOME. I think people of all ages would like this book. “

—Kaitling, age 11

“LOVE THE BOOK!!!!!!!
I love the pictures and the fancy words!!
The looks and expressions were great!!!!
I really like the details and the cover of the book!!!!!!!!
I love the way you chose the design for the letters!!!!!!!!!!
The book was so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

— Miran, age 10
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