The Rise of Winter is an enjoyable read with a strong main character and a gripping plot full of action and adventure.

Winter lives in a post-apocalyptic world with only two seasons: dry and rainy. Even her name sounds like something mythical. Some time ago, the world was almost destroyed by human careless activities. Winter keeps watching mountains that separate her country Nacadia from the Forgotten Lands full of toxic waste.
Winter’s mother died in childbirth and the only time Winter’s grandmother spoke about her father was to say that he died of a broken heart.

One day a strange thing happens: Winter begins to understand animal speech. Then, her world is turned upside down. She has to run for her life in the company of a wise Fox Vulpeera and a super-chatty raccoon Protin (one of my favourite characters in the book). She must reach the mysterious Cove where she has to undergo a ceremony that will make her (confirm) into one of the twelve Guardians Terra (The Mother Earth) has chosen to protect herself and all the living creatures. Each of the Guardians- four attributes (Strength, Speed, Agility, and wisdom) for three Earth domains (land, water, and sky). Not everybody agrees with choosing Winter to be the Land Guardian of Wisdom and everybody is surprised when she is appointed the Terra Protectorum, the leader who must learn the magic powers of the rest of the Guardians, and use them to heal the hurting Terra.

Winter has a lot to learn, but her life is constantly in danger and there are lots of twists and turns in this well-written tale with a strong environmental message. What I liked the most were the Guardians and their disctinct personalities. Winter herself is open-minded and caring. I would have prefered to see a bit more of the worldbuilding. Cars, mass-produced books and electricity are just making (re-) appearance , so they must be living through tumultous times of change. What do they know about their history? What do they care about? What is really there in the Forbidden Lands? Lots of questions for the sequel which I am already looking forward to reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Title: The Rise of Winter
Author: Alex Lyttle
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Date: 1st of May 2019

I just adored this little book. It has everything: bright vivid colours and cute illustrations, repetition necessary for language development, cognitive challenge and, above all, it is interactive and fun to read together with your little one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Title: Hide and seek, Little Chameleon
Author: Anita Bijsterbosch
Published by: Clavis
Date: may 15th, 2019

A sweet and dreamy book about a little girl who is looking up into the sky and thinks about all the beautiful things she can see- a plane in the sky, fluffy clouds, butterflies, a shooting star, a kite stuck in a tree, tiny flower seeds flying away... and she wonders what she could do with them or where she would like to go. Then, she realizes that all that makes her happy is right in front of her.

A beautifully-illustrated book with a wonderful text and a great message of using your imagination powers to wonder about the world around you, but also loving what you have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Title: When I look up
Author: Ellen Delange (text), Jenny Meilihove (illustrations)
Publisher: Clavis
Date: May 15th, 2019

A young woman gets on the bus and rides out of the big city. She arrives in the countryside, where she is as big as a giant, looming over a tiny house, a garden and her tiny grandmother.
The cabbages and the apple trees are far below. Her grandmother smiles up at her in her yellow hat. The young woman bends down to give her little grandmother a big kiss, and then she smells her grandmother’s cooking. She has returned home. When they sit down at the table, the young woman has shrunk to a child-like size, and the two share a meal together in the garden.


My thoughts

My grandfather was a fantastic cook. Whenever my mum was there to visit him and we sat down for a meal, she had this unforgettable expression on her face: pure bliss. I remember trying to understand their complex relationship of a father and a grown-up daughter with her own adult responsibilities. She told me that you are always a child as long as one of your parents is alive and only now I am beginning to understand her words.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Ingram Publisher Services for the ARC provided in return for an honest opinion.

 Title: The return
Author: Natalia Chernysheva
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Expected date of publication: October 2019