Staff Review: "Once Upon a Memory" by Nina Laden

A picture book can be so many things--funny, silly, weird, cute, or even avant-garde. Everyone has their favorites and their tendencies--books about trucks, or penguins, or princesses. There are picture books that kids love and parents hate to read, or books that parents love but kids hate to read. And then there are the picture books for Grandmas everywhere. Every once in awhile someone writes a picture book that has universal appeal, and they usually become birthday and graduation presents. "Once Upon a Memory" written by Nina Laden and illustrated by Renata Liwska hits just such a sweet spot.

The simply rhyming lines and soft illustrations harken back to an earlier era when children's books were mostly sweet and gentle (think Joan Walsh Anglund or Tasha Tudor). With a single evocative question on each page, "Does a book remember it once was. . .a word?" little people will enjoy guessing as the book progresses. The undercurrent of wistfulness and remembrance will appeal to adults, and hopefully spark memories to share with a little person in their life. "Once Upon a Memory" is a book like a soft little hug. Appropriate for anyone over the age of three.

--Andrea W., Headquarters