Shelter

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 12, 2017

Review

Shelter by Celine Claire was originally published in French. Accompanied by soft watercolor and ink illustrations by Qin Leng, the book tells the story of a forest of animals preparing for a storm, when two strangers emerge from the fog to ask for shelter, but no one seems to want to provide it. In the end, one of the other families need help, and the strangers are willing to give it. This is a lovely and simple tale of kindness, even in the face of unkindness by others. Leng's illustrations a loosely rendered and wonderfully colored to give the reader a sense of the cold outside and the warm glow of the various shelters of the animals. This book is recommended for most collections and great for sharing one-on-one or in storytimes.

Overall Book Score: very good