I love beautiful weather as much as the next gal. We had one such day yesterday, actually - a rarity in Chicagoland in February, to be sure. It was divine! Our backyard was swimming with neighborhood kids… who were swimming in snowmelt mud puddles.
But, much as I relish a gorgeous, sunny day, I really love rainy days. Cloud cover lowers the lighting, dampens the noise, and slows things down, giving my mood - which tends toward melancholy and introspection - an excuse to hibernate and narrow its focus. Plus, the bright things in life somehow look even brighter in the midst of gray.
This is an odd joy, to some, but not to all. As it turns out, I found I’m a lot like SUNNY, the main character of this new picture book…
SUNNY, the debut picture book of Celia Krampien as both author and illustrator (February 2020, Roaring Brook Press), is about a girl, who finds lots to love within her rainy day, even when the going gets tough... very tough. Throughout the story, even as it’s blustering and blowing, there you’ll find Sunny - smiling, flying and enjoying the silver lining.
Sunny’s yellow raincoat hood, with its rounded tip, reminds me of a lemon. And, as it turns out, Sunny is definitely one who turns lemons into lemonade. She approaches every sour patch with sweetness, making the best of bad situations. As a glass-half-full-kinda-person, this book is right up my alley. Here are three things that I love about SUNNY:
Memorable Voice
SUNNY is told in a fresh and memorable narrative voice. Krampien opens each scene with an assertion of what most people would say or do, if they were in a certain sticky situation. Krampien’s long, rich run-ons wrap readers in the discomfort and discouragement presented to Sunny throughout her rainy day - the trudging, the squishing, the tumbling, the splashing, and more.
These detailed passages are then followed by quick, conversational bookends (“That is what most people would say.”), which give readers a breath to think about how they would feel, if presented with a similar situation. The short sentences brilliantly set up the page turn, as readers wonder, “What would Sunny do?” It’s narratively successful, but moreover, so fun to read! The ramble and pause…. ramble and pause… is reflective of how we speak - bold claims and all - but extra poetic and endearing. I found it refreshing, humorous and touching, all at once.
Lively Art
My daughters’ very favorite parts of this story were Sunny’s “flight patterns.” While holding the hefty hook of her big yellow umbrella, Sunny is whisked into the air above her small town, far from home and into the sea where unexpected challenges await.
Krampien’s visual storytelling is exciting and lively. Some spreads (like the one below) are broad, vast and sparse. Here, Sunny’s umbrella bleeds off the page, pulling readers into the page turn. Other scenes are presented in thin comic-style frames that carve up, and stretch out, the action. Yet another notable spread asks the reader to turn the book vertically to fully feel Sunny’s fall from the sky. While the palette of jade and gold is intentionally limited, variety comes in compositions that build suspense along with reader investment in sweet Sunny.
Tension & Emotion
Each of Sunny’s new experiences is more trying than the last. As she navigates unexpected waves of trouble, readers will find themselves predicting what will happen next. My daughters scoured the pages for clues. Krampien gives just the right amount of foreshadowing in her art, creating tension while also giving readers the information they need to make guesses as they go.
Sunny approaches her trials with such positivity that readers come to expect it. It’s who she is. But as each new crises compounds, and Sunny is taken farther and further from her place of stability, readers see it begins to wear on the character’s cheery demeanor. In the climactic scene of the book, Sunny at last loses her grip on control. Readers will certainly connect with Sunny’s heartbreak in this moment of despair.
SUNNY at-first-blush appears to be a story about one girl’s lonely journey. But in the end, it’s a tale about friendship… those who lift you up when you’ve come to the end of you and all hope is lost. It illustrates that while sometimes we get swept up in things we can’t control, those who care about us will not only understand, but also welcome us home with grace and love.
Celia Krampien is a Canadian illustrator, who has created work for newspapers, magazines, and children's books. SUNNY (Roaring Brook Press) is Krampien’s first author-illustrated picture book. Her clients include Random House, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House Canada, Macmillan Publishing, Simon & Schuster, The New York Times, WWF Canada, The Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, and Variety.
One lucky reader will win SUNNY, signed by Celia Krampien! Here's how to enter:
*** Win SUNNY ***
Simply...
1. "Like" this post (click the heart below)
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3. Retweet my pinned contest tweet by 2/28/20
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GOOD LUCK!
