Cinyee Chiu – illustratör

A frustrated little rabbit longs for spring in this gentle, warmhearted story about waiting.

Little Rabbit is hungry, bored and very tired of winter. “When will it be spring?” he asks his parents. All they can tell him is that he must wait and be patient. Except, Little Rabbit doesn’t like waiting, or being patient. Instead, he turns to the oldest, wisest rabbit in the forest, his grandmother, to find out when it will be spring. “Only the trees know,” she says. “Ask them, and they will tell you.” So Little Rabbit does. But the trees don’t answer him. He tries shouting, jumping up and down, listening very hard. And still, nothing. Then, just when Little Rabbit is about to give up, he notices there’s something different in the forest, something that’s right underneath his nose …

Author Jane Whittingham’s message of finding hope and patience in trying times is always a relevant one for children. The lyrical depictions of the forest in winter — “The winds blew and bit, the trees shivered and shook, and the snow fell and fell” — give this book the feel of a classic. Cinyee Chiu’s lush illustrations in muted shades evoke a magical wintery world, and their varied perspectives perfectly showcase Little Rabbit’s place in his world. This book offers excellent character education lessons on patience, perseverance and resilience. Young readers will be rooting for Little Rabbit, easily relating to his impatience. It’s the perfect read-aloud for a late-winter day, or anytime children are finding it hard to wait.

Join a whale below the waves and learn about the wonders of breathing.

What can happen during one whale’s breath? Here, readers find out by traveling along with a humpback whale from inhale to exhale. An evocative poem – written as one long sentence without pauses to mirror the whale’s breath – describes the activities of all the sea creatures the whale passes, focusing on the way each one breathes. Fascinating facts about their breathing are presented separately in straightforward sidebars. It’s a wondrous journey, sure to captivate readers, as they discover how important oxygen is to most living things – under and above the sea – and how we all benefit from sharing it.

This beautiful informational picture book takes an innovative approach to a topic with high appeal. Award-winning author Jessica Kulekjian has crafted a lyrical tale of life under the sea backed up with accessible and expert-vetted science about how creatures breathe. It covers how long creatures can go between breaths, whether they breathe air using their lungs or breathe in water using their gills, and the interdependence of different species for their oxygen. Life-forms included range from sardines and sharks to crabs and kelp, as well as humans and seagulls. Cinyee Chiu’s lush, color-drenched illustrations provide a delightful whale’s-eye view of a marine ecosystem. The book has strong curriculum connections to primary life science and earth science lessons. Back matter provides more information and further resources.