Your Island

Starred review from December 15, 2024
Before nighttime falls, the objects on an island are in dire need of some direction. Part of a board-book series that includesYour Forest (2025) andYour Farm (2025), this story places the power of creation into the hands of small children. As Klassen presents each element, he offers readers instructions as to its placement. There's no mistaking whom these objects belong to. "This is your palm tree. It can go over by the sun." Slowly, the author/illustrator and young readers work together to build the scene. Plants, a tent, a fire (actually, "a magic fire. It will never go out"), a boat, and a most capricious bird ("he flies away sometimes but he always comes back") are laid out on the page. Each object has at least one unblinking eye that stares out at readers. When the sun sets, those eyes all close. "Now you can sleep too and think about what you will do there tomorrow." Sure to spark the imagination and brimming with whimsy, this deceptively simple bedtime story makes readers an active participant in the process of constructing an entire little world. For children yearning for an island of their own, deadpan delights await in this tale of somnolent creation.(Board book. 2-4)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2025
"This is your sun. It is coming up for you." Thus begins each of three original board books, accompanied by an image of the sun peeking up over an implied horizon line. Subsequent spreads introduce, one by one, other characteristic features you'd find on a Farm (barn, horse), in a Forest (cabin, stream), or on an Island (palm tree, boat) and add them to the scenes. "These are your plants. They can go on the ground." The basic-shaped objects accumulate on mainly white backgrounds; once the settings are fully created, the day concludes, and each book ends with the line: "Now you can sleep too and think about what you will do there tomorrow." A simple premise, but with subtle depth cleverly provided by Klassen. His minimalist style is on full display, from the brief, straightforward texts ("Here is your truck. It is a good truck. It can go in the barn too") to the sparsely populated pages. Of course, Klassen also infuses life and character into each object in the ink and graphite illustrations by giving them expressive eyes, which close at night when the farm, forest, and island go to sleep. Additional imaginative elements include a ghost in Forest and a magical fire that never goes out in Island. The whole process mimics and encourages a toddler's drawing activity, adding things to negative space to create art that tells a child-friendly story. In short, Klassen has crafted three unassuming master classes in picture-book making for the youngest listeners/viewers.

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 31, 2025

PreS-Gr 1-One of a series of board books, this recent offering from Klassen engages readers on an interactive journey constructing a personalized island. Beginning with the sun, the story unfolds as the narrator leads readers in the placement of elements like trees, rocks, and water to build the island. Once each part is in place, the setting sun draws the day to a close and the island goes to sleep. True to his style, Klassen's trademark minimalist illustrations and dry humor permeate the island's construction with a quiet charm. The second-person perspective makes the experience feel direct and personal, as if readers are part of the story, shaping the island along with the narrator. Yet, the sparse visuals and text leave plenty of room for imagination. With each turn, the simple, patterned text and large type make it an ideal choice for early readers, drawing them in with its easy flow and tactile engagement. For young children just starting to explore books, this one offers an enjoyable, calming read that encourages interaction and imagination. VERDICT An excellent purchase for board book collections or libraries serving beginning readers.-Louie Lauer

Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2025
Preschool *Starred Review* Who doesn't want a special place of one's own? Klassen gently guides the reader through the creation of their very own island in this board book, presenting key island components, one by one, and simple directives for their placement. The effect is rather like putting together a felt-board scene one piece at a time. Of course, because it's Klassen, each element has eyes that stare, shift, and assess the environment as it develops. "This is your palm tree. It can go over by the sun." Turn the page and the tree is, indeed, now on the left page with the sun. Meanwhile, plants have sprung up on the right: "They can go on the ground." And so they do. Ultimately, the sun, palm tree, and plants are joined by a tent, a boat, a magic fire that never goes out, and a bird. Upon the island's--your island's--completion, the sun goes down, all eyes close, and the reader is invited to go to sleep, too, "and think about what you will do there tomorrow." This book is quietly clever. Its repetition allows for pattern recognition, and the visual cumulative storytelling subtly reinforces concepts, but, most importantly, it all serves to create a place for the tot perusing its pages to let their imagination run free. Releasing as part of the Your Places trilogy alongside the similarly styled Your Farm and Your Forest.

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