One can never have enough books is the motto in The Parenting Patch house. In addition to the many books that I check out from the library, my kiddos also have quite the home collection of books. Thus, I eagerly accepted the chance to review the upcoming Mina’s White Canvas by Hyeon-Ju Lee when recently offered the opportunity by Peter Pauper Press. I received an unbound copy of the book.
Author
Hyeon-Ju Lee is an author and illustrator from Korea. Mina’s White Canvas is her debut children’s picture book for which Lee garnered an Opera Prima Mention for the Bologna Ragazzi Award 2012, an honor given to new authors and illustrators for the “best designed book” worldwide.
Price
Published by Peter Pauper Press, Mina’s White Canvas arrives in September 2015 at the retail price of $17.99. The title is available from Amazon and other booksellers. The price is comparable to other children’s picture books of similar length.
Story
Recommended for children between the ages of 4 and 8, Mina’s White Canvas is a cheerful tale about the transformative power of imagination. Tired of the grayness and gloom outside, Mina uses a magical crayon to brighten her world. By the end of the day, she brightens not only her world but the worlds of some new friends that she meets along the way. Mina’s White Canvas is a perfect story to read with likeminded artistic children, and I look forward to reading this book with my daughter, who loves to color with her own crayons, again and again.
As I started reading Mina’s White Canvas for the first time, I was reminded of Harold and the Purple Crayon of which I am not a huge fan. Mina’s White Canvas takes the idea of creating your own world through the power of imagination and creates a sweet story filled with creativity and kindness. The message that I take from the story is to use your strengths to better the world for others, which is a message that I can stand behind and share with my children. I therefore absolutely love the ideas in Mina’s White Canvas.
Illustrations
As much as I love the story and message in Mina’s White Canvas, I also love the pictures. The illustration style is soft and minimal but full of color. I especially love the use of blue, which Lee uses in place of the drab grayness of winter. The animals are soft and sweet, even the bear. I also appreciate the ethnic ambiguity of Mina. She could be white or Asian or almost any combination in between, so little girls from all over the world can relate to her. The illustration in Mina’s White Canvas are simply gorgeous.
Final Verdict
If you are searching for a sweet book to read with your child this winter, I highly recommend Mina’s White Canvas by Hyeon-Ju Lee. The story teaches the important message of the transformation power of imagination to help others. I especially love the illustration style, which is soft and minimal but absolutely gorgeous. Look no further than Mina’s White Canvas for your next reading adventure!
For more information or to make a purchase, visit Mina’s White Canvas on Amazon via my affiliate link.
Image Credits
Mina’s White Canvas: http://amzn.to/1eqI7pa
Cover of Mina’s White Canvas © 2015 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of Mina’s White Canvas © 2015 Heather Johnson
