Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover


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Book Review: Silent Night, The wonderful story of the beloved Christmas carol by Brigitte Weninger and Julie Wintz-Litty

Silent Night, The wonderful story of the beloved Christmas carol

Written by Brigitte Weninger

Illustrated by Julie Wintz-Litty

NorthSouth Books, 2018 English translation

I adore Christmas music. And Christmas books. When I recently replied to an email from NorthSouth Books, sharing which book I would love to read (from a generous list of choices), I won a copy of Silent Night, The wonderful story of the beloved Christmas carol. Merry Christmas to me!

Gorgeously illustrated, this lovely picture book has a longer text, but it easily engaged my attention as I read about the history of the beloved song. Seasonal yes, but I’ve been known to listen to Christmas music nearly any time of the year. Music and history lovers will enjoy reading how the song was born. Enchanting, beautiful, and perfect.

Thank you, NorthSouth Books!


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Book Review: In the Garden with Flori by Sonja Danowski

In the Garden with Flori

Written and illustrated by Sonja Danowski

Translated from German by Marshall Yarbrough

NorthSouth Books Inc., 2022

Friends, we are talking gorgeous. I was initially drawn to this oversized picture book just by seeing some of the illustrations. The illustrations, plus the garden theme, put this book right on my want-to-read list. I love gardens.

After receiving In the Garden with Flori from NorthSouth Books, I was indeed enchanted with both the richly detailed illustrations and the gardening, trouble-filled story. Thank you, NorthSouth Books!

Why I like this book:

~ Gorgeous, detailed, full-page illustrations

~ Flori, the adorable sidekick, who as dogs do, causes a certain amount of trouble

~ Child-centered story

~ Friendship

~ Love the garden! Both the wild outdoor garden and the protected inside garden

~ The endpapers – check out the detail!

~ The nature theme

Congratulations, Sonja, for creating this beautiful picture book!

Amazon Blurb:

Batchelder Honor recipient Sonja Danowski has created a new story reminding us that love, patience, and a sense of humor help any garden to flower.

What a fuss! Linn’s grandfather broke his leg. Fortunately, his granddaughter Linn offers to take care of his spectacular garden. After all, Linn has helped out in the garden many times and knows a lot about plants. With Linn’s dog, Flori, and her good friend, Emi, by her side what could go wrong? But when mischievous Flori causes a mess, Linn has to learn to deal with a difficult situation. Taking responsibility for the first time is a big step. Together with Linn, we experience pride in the trust placed in us as well as self-doubts along the way. Sonja Danowski’s lovingly detailed illustrations appear almost lifelike and unfold with incomparable magic.