Carina Felina

Praise for The Children's Moon by Carmen Agra Deedy: "… LaMarche’s emotive watercolors… capture the beauty of a world where sunshine and moonlight are equally radiant. The well-told tale works on multiple levels, useful in units on the moon and mythology, but also for an SEL discussion on identity, ego, and sharing." -- School Library Journal

Praise for The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy: * "Deedy's original tale about standing up to oppression couldn't be more timely. Yelchin's saturated, folksy, mixed-media paintings are the perfect partner, fleshing out the characterizations and offering visual humor. This subtle, modern multicultural tale is a must have." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​* "Deedy uses repeating language to powerful effect, ramping up the stakes while underscoring the gallito's steady determination... Yelchin amplifies themes of protest and injustice in vivid mixed-media caricatures that emphasize the rooster's humble nobility in contrast to Don Pepe's sneering autocratic airs. Like the gallito's cries of 'kee-kee-ree-kee!' Deedy's message about speaking up and speaking out rings as clearly as a bell." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​* "Deedy's original story of the noisy village of La Paz has the feel of a well-told folktale -- one with plenty of dry wit... Bright hues and busy page layouts reflect a boisterous La Paz but fade to dull blues and open space when Don Pepe comes into power. Following the narrative arc, the color and energy return with the gallito's arrival and resistance. The story closes with an inspiring author's note encouraging readers and listeners to make themselves heard." -- The Horn Book, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​"Told with a storyteller's flair, the narrative reads like a folktale, while Yelchin's mixed-media illustrations are vibrant and perfectly suit the text. A fun read-aloud for any library, especially ones looking for stories with Hispanic influence." -- School Library Journal

Praise for Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day by Carmen Agra Deedy: ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​* "Oswald's illustrations take full advantage of this book's elongated format, accentuating the distance between the friends' houses... Deedy's realistic portrait of the ups and downs of friendship will strike a familiar chord with young readers. This well-crafted story is an excellent choice for those seeking books featuring conflict-resolution to help children learn to manage their emotions and build healthy friendships and boundaries." -- Booklist, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​"A sincere and sympathetic but unsentimental treatment of a challenging behavior for youngsters -- the admission of wrongdoing and the repair of friendship -- told with a lilting cadence by noted storyteller Deedy... Kids can glean a lot from Rita and Ralph: miscommunication is an easy, inevitable occurrence between friends, and though making up is much more difficult, it's always worth a shot, and accountability goes a long way when making amends. A corresponding hand game, 'Mr. Wiggle & Mr. Waggle,' complete with diagrams, accompanies the text." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Recommended ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​* "A terrific read-aloud... Rita and Ralph's tiff, told with a sweet freshness, is a timeless, engaging tale with which any young reader is likely to identify... Best friends learn that asking for -- and accepting -- forgiveness is an up-and-down process in this delightful picture book." -- ​​​​​​​Shelf Awareness, starred review

Praise for One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey: ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​* "The skilled black-ink drawings lend a look of pleasant harmony to all the characters that populate the pages, from woodland creatures to humans of various ages and gender and racial presentations. Meticulous attention to composition, textures, and period detail -- starting around the 1960s -- makes each page a delight... Because there are no words, children are left to draw their own conclusions... Beautifully effective as both nostalgia trip and lesson in conservation." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​* "[The story's] message is deeply profound... Nostalgia and love abound... bringing tears to the eyes of readers of all ages with each detailed image... [A] compelling and emotionally resonant addition to Earth Day curricula, especially as an inspiration for reusing items as long as possible." -- School Library Journal, starred review * "By elevating the life of an ephemeral object to the time scale of love across generations, Cole nudges readers to take a second look at the things they throw away. An author's note describes how Earth Day prodded Cole to reuse the same paper lunch bag for years." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review ​​​​​​​ "From the title on, silence and secrets create stirring drama in this wordless picture book... children will be moved to return to the images many times and fill in their own words." -- Booklist

Praise for Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad: ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​A New York Times Best Illustrated Book ​​​​​​​ "Designed to present youngsters with a moral choice… the author, a former teacher, clearly intended Unspoken to be a challenging book, its somber sepia tone drawings establish a mood of foreboding." -- The New York Times Book Review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​ * "Moving and emotionally charged." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​* "Gorgeously rendered in soft dark pencils, this wordless book is reminiscent of the naturalistic pencil artistry of Maurice Sendak and Brian Selznick." -- School Library Journal, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​ "Cole conjures significant tension and emotional heft in this powerful tale of quiet camaraderie and courage." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​"What Cole shows so superbly through his accomplished yet unpretentious pencil art is the keeping of secrets. The entire family appears to know what's going on, but the extent of each character's involvement is never made explicit." -- The Horn Book