Another Year Around the Sun

Another Year Around the Sun (Affirm Press) Katrina Germein & Alice Lindstorm PB RRP $22.99 ISBN 9781923022911

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Katrina Germein is a multiple award-winning children’s author who is published internationally. Known for her delightful use of rhyme her stories inspire imagination, curiosity and laughter in children.

Alice Lindstrom is an illustrator and artist who creates paint paper collages by hand using cut and paste techniques. She has illustrated three picture books.

Another year around the sun,

Happy birthday, precious one. 

Follow a family through a year of magical moments spent outdoors and watch the world change with every season. This lyrical picture book beautifully celebrates another year around the sun.

Katrina Germein’s language is lyrical, succinct and beautifully written in rhyme. It dances across the pages like sunlight. Her use of so few words is elegant and perfect. She gives the reader space to imagine and for the illustrator to have creative freedom. Waves crashed. You splashed. Sun beamed. You dreamed. The verbs paint the actions of the child delightfully; they create little heart sings inside a reader. Her clever inclusion of the seasons gives the book a much broader appeal than just as a birthday celebration book. Her repeat patterning use of the pronoun ‘you’ engage a child reader and directly invite them into the story. You roared. The wonder and beauty enthrall the whole way through this book as the words and illustrations dance together on every page. The ending is perfect for this book and its theme. Happy birthday, precious one.

Alice Lindstrom’s captivating illustrations hold so much detail. The more your eyes look, the more they see and discover on every page. Her work is delicate, joyful and full of heart. The front cover is an explosion of the four seasons. A child is in each corner with a seasonal collage that’s framed around a central circle that holds the title. Her colour palette is vibrant and aesthetically pleasing.  A reader is visually shown the sheer joy and wonder of every season. Bright lime green endpapers with a sausage dog in one corner with a butterfly are delightful. Family life and the carefree nature of a little girl are framed inside the most glorious colours and details. You can easily imagine yourself walking on grass or digging in the garden. Everything is child-relatable and the movement on the pages brings the natural world to life. On the cockatoo spread, you can almost imagine touching them. Each collage is unique. The use of perspective heightens the way you experience this story.

Another Year Around the Sun is a gorgeous picture book that not only celebrates a birthday but the seasons, nature, and family life. Lyrical and captivating, it would make a great birthday gift that can be revisited every year.  Most birthday picture books are funny, so it is refreshing to see a book break away from this and stand out. It’s a delightful book for 4-8 years old that has appeal to not only children and families, but teachers and librarians. It is sure to capture little hearts and big ones too.