Yanting Gueh's Blog, page 15

Lost from Her Dolphin Family

I'll be blogging on picture books and middle-grade novels (for readers aged 9-12) from now on. Here's an MG novel I've plunged into lately:



"In the dolphin family, if one is lost, all are lost."

A girl lives with her family of dolphins. They play, they eat, they swim 'in the path of the moon,' they sing in the sea and await the birth of baby cousins, or mourn the letting-go of family. They are always together, even when the girl has to sleep away from the dolphins.

One da...

Friday Specials

Here's a book of simple joy for the week:

Every Friday, a boy and his father walk to their favourite diner for breakfast. Just the two of them, strolling down the lane bustling with people on their way to work. The boy and his father walk past changing landscapes, wave to friendly neighbours and dogs, and count the number of blocks to go.

When they finally reach their favourite diner, they sit down for their "usuals." {The boy loves pancakes.} They talk about everything under the sky duri...

On Broken Bits & New Life

There's much anxiety and grief going round the world this past week. Everyday, we piece our broken bits together and hope to heal. This piecing-and-hoping is good. The edges will not always fit. There might be further cuts. And there will always be cracks. (Leonard Cohen says, that's how the light gets in. Sometimes the light streams in, sometimes it is harder to catch. But no matter. Let the light in.)

My heart goes out to the families who are in pain. Praying for more Light to enter yo...

The Tear Thief

Read this magical tale the other day. Here's its synopsis on the cover flap:

"Each night, in the hours between supper and bedtime,
the Tear Thief carries her waterproof sack over her shoulder
as she soundlessly steals the tears of every child who cries.
But what does she do with all of those tears?
And why are the tears of real sadness the most special of all?"


The Tear Thief had short spiky white hair and big, gr...

On My Way to Buy Eggs

A little Taiwanese girl, Shau-yu, walks to a traditional provision shop/grocery store to buy eggs for her father. The story is about how this child uses her imagination and humour to discover loveliness along her way to the shop and back.

That was it. That was the whole story. To the shop and back.

Pardon a sprinkle of flashback on my part here: I came upon this book few years ago, when I just started out wanting to write children's literature. Though I liked the sombre colours in contras...

A Guest at Anne's

I'm visiting Anne over at her blog this week to talk about En, my protagonist in BRIGHTNESS SAILORS, BIT BY BIT. Come join us for some coffee or tea?

Claudine Gueh Yanting Listens to Her Picture Book's Main Character

Picking Children's Books by Their Covers

Take a break from the madness in March. Enjoy some interesting book covers I found on Pinterest! [image error]

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Kátia on Pinterest

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Source: ilovetoreadandreviewbooks.blogspot.com via Cheryl on Pinterest

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Source: icimeme.fr via Sandi on Pinterest

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Source: designs.vn via Patti Cohen on Pinterest

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Source: dcstudio.tumblr.com via tiffany on Pinterest

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Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Kim on Pinterest

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Source: penguin.com.au via Prudence on Pinterest

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Source: all-things-bright-and-...

The Things Some of Them Said

Happy International Women's Day!

Deep, honest things beautiful women had/have said:
{Pictures & Quotes from GoodReads.}

“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'

'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.

'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'

'Does it happen all at once, like be...