Ripples Book Review and GIVEAWAY

Book Review and GIVEAWAY

Ripples
By Katie Yamasaki
Published by Norton Young Readers

Mom’s Review

Ripples is a moving picture book that follows a girl and her aunt as they raft down a calm river, waving to friends along the way until they meet up with other rafters at a pond. As they paddle, they occasionally pick up litter or view the myriad animals who call the riverbank home. The scene and pacing are relaxed, an ode to embracing the natural world and integrating oneself into it. With lyrical prose and illustrations that invite the reader deeper and deeper into the setting, Ripples quietly models the tenets of good stewardship: appreciate nature, do no harm, and leave things cleaner than how you found them. Without overtly saying, "Clean up trash!" Katie Yamasaki lauds litter cleanup by demonstrating how easy it is for the children and their adults to collect trash as they play outdoors. While one might initially believe the title Ripples to refer to the ripples in the water left by Aunt Koko's paddle, it just as easily refers to the impact our actions have on those around us. The small action of collecting a few pieces of litter can inspire others to do the same, with a ripple effect leading to greater consequences than simply removing that one plastic bag from the riverbank. I love word play and I love nature and I love picture books that inspire children to engage with the world around them. So a picture book with a dual-meaning title that plants the stewardship seed? Yes, please!

And I love seeing so many families depicted enjoying the outdoors. Ripples is just all-around good! Especially in this warmer weather.


GIVEAWAY
Click the image to enter the giveaway - it's a link.

Readers who join us on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win one of ten hardcover copies of Ripples by Katie Yamasaki. One grand prize winner will receive a hardcover copy of Ripples, a double-sided Ripples poster, and hardcover copies of five of Yamasaki's other beloved picture books—Dad Bakes, Place Hand Here, Everything Naomi Loved, Mural Island, and Shapes, Lines, and Light.

Note: This post is sponsored by Norton Young Readers. All opinions are our own.