Friday, February 13, 2009

First review in for Papa's Way--

--And it is a very nice one! It appears in the Feb. 1st issue of Booklist:

That’s Papa’s Way. Banks, Kate (author)
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Farrar/Frances Foster (9780374374457)
As the sun rises, a young girl and her father dig for earthworms in the woods, collect oars and life jackets, and row onto the lake for a day of fishing. In spare lines, the girl describes the day’s fun, noting the differences that make her and her dad unique. For example, Papa picks up worms with his fingers (“that’s his way”), but the girl prefers to use her shovel (“that’s my way”). What dad and daughter share is their affection for each other: when Papa gives his daughter an end-of-day hug, she says, “I hug him back, because that’s my way, too.” Small sensory details evoke the lake-house setting, from the sound of twigs snapping underfoot to the feel of the wind pushing the boat. But it’s the quiet, understated love between a parent and child that kids will connect with most. As in Emily Jenkins’ What Happens on Wednesdays (2007), Castillo’s winning artwork, rendered in thick charcoal lines and textured layers of paint, finds realistic, reassuring tenderness in a family’s everyday activities. — Gillian Engberg

7 comments:

Brian Floca said...

Great review, Lauren! Congratulations! And I love the painting you've posted here. Beautifully handled, the relationship between girl and father is great, and the funny little ticked-off duckling on the right is perfect. It creates a little story within the story and enlarges the sense of life in the whole piece. Am I going on? Anyway, great!

Matt Phelan said...

I ditto Brian's comments... plus, i love the texture of the water. Can't wait to read this.

Lauren Castillo said...

Thanks so much, Brian and Matt! I had lots of fun with those ducks, especially that angry one--he was my favorite ;)

DES said...

I love the ducks! They are both scrappy and plucky.

DES

tim b said...

Congratulations! There's something so sincere and direct about the emotion in your work... it's always a world I want to spend time in. Glad Booklist agrees; hope it's the first of many.

Lauren Castillo said...

Thank you DES!

And Tim, that was so very kind of you to say!

Julie said...

Beautiful! Congratulations, Lauren!