When did you last look up to the stars? Or the clouds floating lazily in the afternoon sky? Did you catch sight of a rainbow recently? Or a rainbow bird? Which was the last fascinating bird your eyes landed upon out in the wild (or in your backyard!)?

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Look Up Leeva: At the Stars and the Rainbow Bird For LITS

Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley/Edelweiss and the publishers for the digital review copies of the books in this section of my post.

The Last Rainbow Bird

My Quick Thoughts: Vibrant imaginative artwork fills these pages to tell a story of hope and adventure with messages of conservation and teamwork within. A must-read and one that can prompt many discussions.

Leeva at Last

My Quick Thoughts: Delightful is the word here for this book. Dreadful Matilda-ish parents, heartwarming kindnesses, and beautiful illustrations (see that cover!?) make for a tugging-at-heartstrings read (currently reading still, but know I will love it even more when I am done).

The Life is too Short Guy

My Quick Thoughts: another current read. This one is full of practical tips, personal stories, and motivation to help us look up to each day and each moment, and make it count.

Look Up at the Stars

My Quick Thoughts: This is such a sweet parent-child tale. Not sure what I love more – the frameworthy artwork or the tender rhyming text.

Look Up to and Celebrate Where Art and Story Meet!

July 14th is author Brian Selznick’s birthday. I love his books for that wondrous combination of art and story! So using this post to look up to that marvelous meeting which is his signature style.

When I first read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I was in awe. And when I later read Wonderstruck, it reaffirmed my belief that Selznick is simply a creative powerhouse. His ability to weave art and story turns his books into truly captivating experiences. He masterfully blends stunning and detailed illustrations with written prose, effortlessly blurring the lines between words and images.

What sets Selznick apart is his ability to tell stories through both text and illustration, harnessing the strengths of each medium to create a harmonious whole. His use of visual sequences is like that in silent films, where the image takes center stage. This allows readers to immerse themselves in the story on a visual level. Yet, he also recognizes the power and importance of words. This is visible in how he uses prose to delve deeper into his characters, enriching the narrative with many fascinating layers.

Brian Selznick’s wondrous merging of art and story reminds us of the power of both mediums. It reminds. us of the magic that can unfold when words and images come together to create something truly extraordinary.

For the Friday memes, featuring one of his books that I am currently reading.

Look Up to Brian Selznick’s Kaleidoscope

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. To join in, share the opening sentence or more of a book you are happy about reading this week and check out other blogs to see what they are reading too!

First Line Friday hosted by Reading is My Superpower also asks us to share the first line in the comments on the post.

THE FRIDAY 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up on Freda’s Voice and visit others in the linky. 

Book Blogger Hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers and is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. The question/theme for this week (July 14th – 20th) is What are your thoughts on “happily ever after” endings?

For First Line Friday and Book Beginnings

I looked out over the water and wondered if anything truly existed beyond the horizon. Reports of monsters beneath the waves and gods above the clouds had been around since the dawn of time, but I wanted to know for sure. So, on the morning of my thirteenth birthday, as the sky turned pink and gold, I stole a ship from my father’s fleet and sailed with my friend James past the pillars of Hercules into the West Ocean. On the twelfth day of the voyage, a storm blew down from heaven, so fierce the water itself was lifted in a spout from the ocean, and our ship with it. 

For Friday 56

My house had many rooms, and sometimes there were spiders. I did not like the spiders. They were very large and spun webs in my house, but James cleaned them out.

And Lastly, For Book Blogger Hop

Given I wrote about escaping into a fool’s paradise, though wisely and with an intention to return, happily ever afters are, in my opinion, wonderful! Granted, sometimes it might seem like authors forced such an ending to neatly wrap up their book full of trials and travails for the characters. In those cases, it can seem unreal and maybe the author could create a more realistic ending. But books are often our escape, and even those forced happy endings can leave us readers with a sense of happiness. For that feeling, I am fine with happy-ever-afters in books.

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, which of these books appeals to you the most?