Dawn by Marc Martin

Less a story and more a series of illustrations paired with poetic text, 

the book is a testament to Martin’s immense artistic talents.

Truly stunning. Kirkus Star review

The series of single words in this book feel like a visual poem:

dawn

dew

deer

sound

spring

still

conceal 

reveal

Other words resonate with richness and meaning such as glimmer; shimmer; forage; formation and chorus.

Blurb from author web page: As the sun slowly rises, many things happen in a small window of time. The world comes alive with the actions of animals, plants, clouds, and sky. A deer drinks, an owl wakes, a dandelion shimmers in the light. A ladybug climbs, a fish jumps, birds call in a chorus. Geese fly away in formation. A flower blooms. Beautifully illustrated with glowing imagery and written with a charming simplicity holding appeal for new readers, Marc Martin’s ode to the slow-blooming beauty of a sunrise and the life that unfolds in its radiance narrows the lens to show the wonder of time passing.

You can see inside Dawn here. See more of his work on Instagram.

The book’s thoughtful visual pacing echoes its rhythmic text. Martin mixes single-image scenes with combinations of vertical and horizontal panels to guide readers through small, quick happenings—for example, a series of four vertical panels depicting snapshots of a ladybug climbing a dew-laced blade of grass (“climb / quench / drip / drop”), and bigger events that demand pause, such as the panoramic final full-bleed, double-page spread of the rising sun. Horn Book Star review

When you share this book with your young reading companion you should slow down and take your time and then on subsequent readings notice the way the frames of the illustrations change and the way the light increases and also the link between the dewdrop and the ladybird from the title page with other images later in the book. Then get up early and watch the dawn - it usually takes about ten minutes - notice the light, but also listen for the dawn chorus and maybe do this more than once to see changes over different seasons. This idea reminds me of The Night Walk by Marie Dorléans. I also need to mention the beautiful book design and wonderful paper quality. This is a book to own, to cherish and of course to also add to your school library.

Image source: Marc Martin

You can see and hear Marc Martin sharing his book on Instagram.

One of the best parts of attending an author or illustrator talk is the discovery of the back-story about the writing of a book. Here are some things I learnt today at Gleebooks Kids about Marc Martin (this is my third post about him so you would think I know all of this, but I didn't. Click on his name in the labels for this post to read about other books and more):

• Trivia - his first job was at KMart and he likes eating coffee eclairs.
• Books - his new book due in October is about Antarctica - I should have asked "Have you been there?"
• A staff member from Candlewick posted some photos over a period of just seven minutes to show the dawn - this gave Marc Martin the idea for his book. (I would love to find those photos).
• The text came first then the illustrations and it took three years to make this book. (It is always good to tell this to your students - the craft of writing and illustrating takes time)
• This book is not a traditional narrative but Marc Martin hopes it will open up conversations between children and their parents.
• His own favourite page has the text treetops and tree trunks and beautifully shows two different perspectives of the forest with the deer from earlier in the book looking straight at the reader but also ready to run if startled. The page with the dandelion blowing in the breeze took the most time to create. He included a deer to give this book a universal feel and also because this book comes from a US publisher Candlewick.  (Here in Australia and the UK this publisher is called Walker Books). 
• As an illustrator he has a filmic perspective. His illustrations allow the viewer/reader to zoom in and out just like a camera. 
• His favourite films are from Studio Ghibli such as My Neighbor Totoro; Kiki’s Delivery Service and Spirited Away. He also mentioned The tree of life by Terrence Malick.
• The US copy of this book from Candlewick comes with a dust jacket - what a pity our Australia copies do not include this - and under the dust jacket is a different image - I should have taken a photo!
• The US edition also has a subtitle: Watch the World Awaken
• He writes and illustrates his books, but some have a text by another writers such as We are Starlings by Donna Jo Napoli and Every child a Song by Nicola Davies. 

As always the event at Gleebooks here in Sydney was so well organised by Rachel Robson. She had a display of the page layouts used by Marc Martin, a set of Marc's books with fairy lights, an art activity for the children (and adults) and really fun prompts to encourage participants to draw sequences like the ones Marc Martin used in Dawn. I liked the prompts - "Unwrapping a present"; "Blowing out a candle"; and "Playing in the rain".

Hope I don't jinx Marc and his book but I am sure this will be a 2026 CBCA Picture Book Notable and surely also make the shortlist. Check out my previous post about picture books like Dawn that I called Poetry with Pictures. 

If you listen by Charlotte Zolotow illustrated by Stefano Vitale

"If you listen hard you'll feel someone far away sending love to you."

"The little girl's father had been away a long time."

I love that we are left to think about why. Is dad away for work? Has dad sadly died? Has dad left the family because of a divorce? Whatever the reason mum suggests there is a way to keep dad close even though he is not here.

"If I can't see him, or hear him, or feel his hugs, how can I know he loves me when he isn't here?"

Her mum tells the little girl to stop and listen. They can hear the church bells even though they cannot see the actual church. Or you hear foghorn of a ship far out at sea or a dog barking over in the hills. 

"Or you're sitting alone in the living room not thinking about anything at all and one petal falls of a rose in the vase on the coffee table."

Bookseller description: This loving tale about loss from two-time Caldecott Honor winner Charlotte Zolotow is a gentle, reassuring approach to a subject that's always challenging for parents to discuss with children. In it, a mother comforts her daughter about the absence of the child's father by explaining that if she listens hard, she'll feel him far away sending love to her.

Charlotte Zolotow (1915-2013) wrote over 70 books. The 1980 edition of If you listen had a different illustrator: Marc Simont. My newer copy is from 2002. You can see inside this book here. 

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale. Part of my mind, when I search through all the boxes of books at these fairs, is thinking about very special books I had in my former school library.  

Here is another book by Charlotte Zolotow also illustrated by Stefano Vitale:

One Word and a Bird by Stephen Michael King

"I was a long way from home and searching for a word, a big word to make me feel ... "

Or can he find an important word or a high-spirited word or a comforting word.

The boy has ideas about this word - he has such a rich vocabulary presumably from reading. Look closely you can see him reading a book as he walks across the landscape of the title page. 

This book has a repeated story structure which will make it a delight to read aloud. Along the way your young reading companion will hear so many rich words such as humongous, gargantuan, auspicious, magnanimous, dynamic and courageous. These words match the things he sees on his journey but they are not quite the right fit. In fact it almost feels as though the boy does not notice his surroundings even when the things he walks past are enormous and amazing.  Where is he going? What is he looking for? 

Also along the way, various 'friends' appear - a small bird, a little dog, a horse, and even a tiny snail. He greets each one with kindness and we see his new companions joining him on several beautiful wordless spreads. These are the quiet pages that will allow you as a reader to stop, pause, slow down and experience the wonders of the night sky. Watch as the story moves from dusk, to evening, to a stormy night and finally to the dawn.

This is a book you might overlook but can I recommend you take the time to pick it up and read it through a few times - slowly. And then find a group of children and share this book with them.  This story is sure to generate some great discussions with your library group. One Word and a Bird was published in April 2025, so I expect to see it listed as a 2026 CBCA notable title.

Here are the teachers notes from Scholastic Australia. I actually like the last question posed in these notes: What can this book teach us about life and what is important? If you had to choose the one most important thing that this book can teach us, what would it be?

This is a multi-layered story that will mean different things to different readers and can be interpreted in myriad ways. King has created an original narrative that uses powerful language and enchanting illustrations to prompt young people aged 4+ to think about what is important to them, why friendship is necessary, and how serendipity can play out in curious and surprising ways. However, in the end, like with all good journeys, the road leads home. The conclusion here is both foreseeable and heartfelt. Books and Publishing

Companion books:

Phileas's fortune

One Word from Sophia

The Word Collector

I am a huge fan of Stephen Michael King - especially of his earliest books:

Where does Thursday go?

Beetle Soup

Tishkin Silk

Henry and Amy

Amelia Ellicott's Garden

Three

Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle

Bear and Rat

The Secret Boat by Mark Macleod illustrated by Helene Magisson

As a writer, I knew from childhood that poetry was what I could write. It was not a conscious choice. The form chooses you, because the kind of ‘story’ you want to tell is intimately tied up with the ways it can be told. A picture book is quite like a poem. It communicates through imagery, so it is succinct, multilayered. There are silences and gaps, where the reader is invited to fill out 

the bits of the story that are not being told in the words. Mark Macleod

This poetry collection (poems all penned by Mark Macleod) was only published in 2023 so I was surprised to find this at a recent charity book sale and it only cost $2. The retail price is $25. Then I opened it up and found this copy has been signed by Mark Macleod with the message 'thank you so much!'.  I love mysteries like this. I wonder who owned this book and why they decided to donate it to the charity book fair? I plan to gift it to either a school library or a young reader.

Bookseller blurb: The Secret Boat is a collection of poems for younger readers by Dr Mark Macleod, mixing humour and whimsy with quirky ponderings, conundrums, dreams, longings and childlike observations. The poems take the reader from beachside to countryside, from revolting to delicious, from realism to fantasy, and end with a suite of bedtime meditations. Their inclusive values and playful read-aloud language make them perfect for bedtime, the classroom and play, and offer opportunities for young people to learn and to question. Helene Magisson's meticulous and luminous illustrations enhance the magic with their subtle alternative readings.

See some of the art from this book here. I imagine this book can be found in many school and public libraries. The poems would be perfect to share with a young group of children aged 6-8. The end papers have tiny images all taken from the book - and among them I spied a pelican. Here is the poem:

Pelican

Pelican landing on the lake

slow as a seaplane

with a long swish,

your pink beak

like a cabin bag

crammed full of slippery fish.

Opposites

Under over

In and out

Up and down

Whisper shoud

Big and little

Lean and fat

Happy sad

Bumpy flat

Strong and weak

Smooth and rough

Messy neat

Gentle tough

Thick and thin

High and low

Short and long

Stop and go

Even if it is not used in the classroom formally, the images that are built as the words roll so naturally off the tongue to make the ordinary extraordinary make this just the best introduction to the poetry genre for young people and while the illustrations are exquisite, the words themselves are enough to just shut your eyes, listen and imagine.  The Bottom Shelf

I was lucky to have Mark Macleod as a lecturer of the Children's Literature course I studied in the 1970s. He certainly introduced us to some amazing books some of which I still think about such as Z for Zachariah by Robert C O'Brien; My Darling my Hamburger by Paul Zindel; and The God Beneath the Sea by Edward Blishen and Leon Garfield. And I well remember his presentation at a conference where he talked about the idea of quiet stories. Based on this I started a Pinterest of them. Mark used to pen a blog - it still makes interesting reading.

From the publisher site (Dirt Lane Press)

MARK MACLEOD has worked in almost every possible area of books for children: as a bookseller, editor, Publishing Director for Random House and for Dirt Lane Press, Publisher at Hachette Australia and as publisher under his own name imprint, Mark Macleod Books. Mark has won awards for distinguished service to Children’s Literature, and for many titles he has published, and is himself the author of several books, has been National President of the Children’s Book Council of Australia,

a television and radio presenter and a senior academic.

"As an enthusiastic young lecturer, I would go to the Children’s Bookshop in Sydney every payday, and blow far too much money on books I wanted to read, to have and to share. Those people have taught me what works."

HELENE MAGISSON is a French-Australian artist who originally trained in medieval illumination and art restoration. Since turning her skills to children’s illustration she has illustrated dozens of books, several of which have been awarded recognition. The Secret Boat is Hélène’s first book with Dirt Lane Press.

My Baba's Garden by Jordan Scott illustrated by Sydney Smith

A quiet, tender, and profoundly moving celebration 

of intergenerational love. Kirkus Star review

"My Baba, my grandmother, was born in Poland, where she and her family suffered greatly during World War II. After the war she emigrated to Canada ... with my Dziadek (grandfather) (but) .... by the time I arrived in the world, my Dziadek had passed away. ... She didn't speak English very well, so much of the time we communicated through gesture, touch and laughter."

Baba is a terrific cook, and she has filled her kitchen and small 'chicken coop' home with food stored in jars and hanging from an assortment of places. Baba also knows worms are essential for the soil. They dig and increase water and air that get into the soil and also provide nutrients. She adds the worms to her the soil around her tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and the apple tree.

"I am a grown man now and (I) still pick up worms. My children do too. My Baba would be proud." 

This book is written from the heart - Baba is Jordan Scott's grandmother. He did indeed spend many happy hours with her when he was a small child. His observations and memories add a gentle layer of honesty to this story - read this quote:

"and there she is, hidden in the steam of boiling potatoes, dancing between the sink, fridge and stove. A hand holding a beetroot, a leg opening a cupboard, an elbow closing the fridge door."

Jordan and his grandmother care for her small garden but then Baba moves in with Jordan's family. She is growing old and frail and now it is his turn to bring her breakfast. When Jordan plants some cherry tomato seeds into a pot on her windowsill she reminds him to collect those all-important worms. And luckily is raining - so it is the perfect time. 

I think this book especially touched me because I also spent time with my precious grandmother and I hold all those memories of our time together in her tiny old flat very close to my heart. 

When you read this book don't rush past the title page (you can see the boy climbing into his dad's car just before dawn). And then on the imprint page we see them driving through the traffic again just before dawn. See inside Baba's Garden here. And Let's talk Picture Books have filmed the jacket reveal - WOW that's so special. Or you could try this link. 

I read a US review and they used the word oatmeal but the Canadian and Australian editions of this book use the word porridge. I shake my head in wonder that the US editor needed to make this change.

Sydney Smith is the 2024 winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award. I really hope he will be at the IBBY Congress in 2024 which will be held in Ottawa. I plan to be there (from Australia).

Awards for Baba's Garden:

• A Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book
• A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
• A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
• A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• A Horn Book Fanfare Book
• A Booklist Editors’ Choice
• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
• An Evanston Public Library Great Book for Kids

Sydney Smith’s evocative images, dwelling on the domestic riches and warmth of Baba’s chicken coop home, and the luxuriant garden that she – and the worms – have created, perfectly complement the simply told story of the boy’s memories of his time with his grandmother. In sketchy prose, Jordan Scott conjures a lively active woman, singing to herself in her own language, absorbed in cooking and preserving the food she has grown, and preparing it for the young boy that she cares for. This beautiful book – beautiful in its illustrations, its language and its tribute to a resilient woman ... Just Imagine

Looking at the illustrations in My Baba’s Garden, I feel I’ve entered her home and should whisper as I read this book. Sydney’s loose watercolor helps us see these memories through sometimes teary eyes or when the sun comes through a window and causes you to squint a bit. His expert use of lighting is dramatic and impactful, and so beautiful. In every scene, the light is like a friend, welcoming. Only Picture Books.

Jordan Scott and Sydney Smith have another picture book written together:

Read my previous post about Sydney Smith. And here is his webpage. Here you can see a photo of Baba and a very young Jordan. 

Footpath Flowers

Of course Baba's Graden is about intergenerational relationships, grandmothers, wisdom, growing old, love and care of family but if you are curious about worms and gardens try to find this book - it takes a fun look at worms for a preschool audience.

Here is the Storylinks review

This is a new book published in 2024 and it would be a good addition to a preschool. 

It has very vibrant illustrations and a fact page about worms at the back.

Imagine a Time by Penny Harrison illustrated by Jennifer Goldsmith

 

"Image a time when all the world stops ... "

This might sound familiar. Everyone is now at home. No one goes to work or school. The aeroplanes stay on the ground, ships stop in their docks and cars, buses and trains all stop. This slow-down and stopping means people slow down too. They are allowed outside in family groups and many discover nature. Meanwhile nature itself begins to creep back into the city. People have time to ...

"hunt for orchids and gaze at the moon and they listen with hope to the birds' morning tune."

Eventually the clocks do restart but perhaps some magic from those very different times still lingers.

I wonder how many university papers will be written based around books that are set during the Covid lockdowns. There are middle grade novels and picture books - and that is the setting for Imagine a Time. When adults in the future try to explain the impact of Covid and the way we all stayed home and were forced to slow down, Imagine a Time would be a good discussion starter. I especially like the way these strange times are presented in a very positive light. We did stay home but many people also discovered bush walks in their local area and indeed some wild animals did find their way into deserted city streets.

Here are some simple teachers notes. Here is a review from The Bottom Shelf. 

Here are some other books by Penny Harrison and by Jennifer Goldsmith.

Everywhere, Wonder by Matthew Swanson illustrated by Bobbi Behr

"I have a story to share. It is a little gift from me to you. You might not know it, but you have a story, too. You'll find it in the things you stop to notice."

The child in this book, is reading a book. We see the page open on an illustration of the pyramids. Turn the page and voila you are there. Then on you go to Arizona, Brazil, mountains in Japan, Kenya, see salmon swimming in Alaska and you could even see that solitary footprint on the surface of the moon. 

All of these things (and many more) are now part of your story.

The polar bear "walked off this page and into your head. Now he is part of your story."

So, there are wonders in books from places around the world that you can only imagine or see in a book but also there are wonders to see all around you - close to home. Even in a bowl of soup. 

The strongest illustrations are those that play with negative space, as when a polar bear wanders off the ice and into the child’s white-walled room, the one blending seamlessly with the other. A journey of the imagination, the book could be of use as a teaching tool to encourage budding writers and creators to notice and imagine stories based on both what they know and what they dream of. Kirkus

You could perhaps use the first part of this book to explore the 2024 CBCA slogan - Reading is Magic. This book was published in 2017 and it is still available but sadly I think it may be way too expensive for a school library here in Australia. You can see inside this book here. Here is the web page for husband and wife team - Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr. They have made 84 books together - 70 self published. You can see them here talking in a video (19 minutes) and reading Everywhere, wonder with tiny animated moments.

Wait! Wait! by Hatsue Nakawaki illustrated by Komako Sakai translated by Yuki Kaneko

A young child sees a fluttering butterfly. We hear the off-stage voice saying Wait! Wait! On the next page the child lifts their arms and looks up as the butterfly flutters away. Moving along the child spies a small lizard on the path. Wait! Wait! Oh no - he has wiggled away. But this is not a problem because now there are three pigeons ready to distract the child but the warning of Wait! Wait! is ignored and so the pigeons flap their wings and fly away. Perhaps these two cats will want to play? No. Never mind there are plenty of other things to explore now that we see all of these tiny moments have been happening at their local park. It is a simple day but it is a day of joy between a father and child with green grass, sunshine and tiny moments to explore and experience. 

There are only thirty words in this book but, as with the very best children's picture books, so much more is going on. This is a book you just have to talk about as you read it with a very young child. Begin with the cover - did you spy the little bee?

Dressed in white overalls, a striped shirt, and chunky shoes, the toddler (who could easily be a boy or a girl) is the star of every spread. ... A lovely and intimate study of a child’s growing sense of independence, capability, and curiosity.  Publisher's Weekly

Sakai’s soft, delicate acrylic-and–oil-pencil illustrations are breathtaking. The butterfly, lizard, pigeons and cats are brilliantly depicted in vivid, accurate detail, while the child is all expressive softness and yearning as she encounters each new experience. Each double-page spread is a sea of white, with a single large-print sentence and a lightly drawn hint of setting, allowing the characters and action to hold center stage. Parents and their little ones will snuggle together to read this joyous evocation of the newness and wonder of the world over and over again. Tender and wistful and glorious. Kirkus Star review

This simple little book captures so nicely the speed of a toddler’s thoughts and the way that they can keep so busy with new discoveries in their day.  There is a wonderful gentleness to the book, where the animals and then the adult are just as much fun and intriguing as one another.  At the same time, there is a sense of discovery and awe as each new creature is found. Waking Brain Cells

When I saw the art of Komako Sakai in The Bear and the Wildcat I fell in love with her work. This book Wait! Wait! was waiting for me at a recent charity book sale. It was published in 2013 and luckily for me this copy is in mint condition and only cost $2! I love this book SO much. My dilemma is do I keep this book - my own shelves are packed full - or do I gift this to a young child?

Here is the Japanese cover  こりゃまてまて

 And the German edition has an entirely different cover:

No one but you by Douglas Wood illustrated by PJ Lynch

Lynch’s softly smudged oil paintings, drenched in sun- and moonlight, match the gentle flow 

of this sensory walk through nature. Kirkus 

If I still worked in my school library, I would love to display one double page spread from this book each week. The text is a gentle celebration of small moments, quiet contemplations of the world. The illustrations are joyous and so very appealing as you would expect from PJ Lynch. And it helps that this is a big format picture book so each image has even more impact.

Here are some text samples:

"No one but you can feel the rain kiss your skin or the wind ruffle your hair. And no one but you can walk through a rain puddle in your bare feet."

"No one but you can gently hold a turtle with your own hands and count the plates on her back and the stripes on her chin, feel the hardness of her shell and the soft scratching of her claws, and imagine what a turtle's life is like as she swims back into the blue-green shadows of her world."

"And who else but you will roll a glistening dewdrop from a rose petal onto your tongue or savor a red, ripe strawberry or a golden drop of honey and know what it tastes like just to you?"

Every now and then I borrow a book from the library and wonder - how did I miss this? And then I reach for my computer to see if I can perhaps purchase a copy. Of course, this 2011 book is long out of print. If I wanted to spend over AUS$110 I could buy a new copy - I have to say I tempted.

Blurb from Walker Books: Feel the rain kiss your skin or the wind ruffle your hair. Hear the hum of a bumblebee; watch a water strider march across a pond; taste a red, ripe strawberry; whistle with a blade of grass. From Christopher Medal-winning author Douglas Wood and celebrated illustrator P.J. Lynch comes a moving look at the experiences that belong only to us, marking a place on Earth that is ours alone. After all, who but you can remember your own memories? Wonderfully evocative of nature’s sensory treasures, here is a perfect gift to share with a child — or to inspire loved ones of any age as they set out to create their special place in the world.