2023 March Releases
Meet the author: Danette Byatt lives in Kitchener, Ontario, where she writes, illustrates, and designs all sorts of fun projects when she’s not out hiking, swimming and exploring — or burning up the dance floor (aka her living room). Danette’s favorite stories to tell contain uplifting messages of love, truth, and freedom. She also adds delightful small details, humor, and whimsy to everything she does. More about Danette and her creations can be found at danettebyatt.com.”
Are you ready for a futuristic trip down memory lane? In this imaginative picture book, a grandmother reminisces to her grandchild Indigo about her childhood, back when humans lived on Earth and children biked to school instead of flying. On the new planet, robots do chores, telepathy has replaced texting, and cakes are 3D-printed. Each clever parallel between the past and present reveals both sweet similarities and stark differences. And though things are vastly different in this marvel-filled future, there is one thing that remains the same: the future is still bright.
When I Was Your Age, the new book by Danette Byatt, is disappointing and poorly illustrated. Now I'm not saying that the pictures are badly done; what I am saying is that they don't complement the story well, and can actually cause confusion rather than add clarity to the story line. Kids could easily be disengaged due to their lack of understanding. I found the book to be less than attention grabbing and not one that I could enjoy reading to the little ones. On a positive note, the book may lead to many questions which could foster interaction between the reader and the listeners. I don't think that kids capable of reading this book on their own will grasp the message that the author is trying to promote within it's pages.
But! What did my grandson who is 8, and my granddaughter who is 5 think of the book? My wife read it to them and they were less than enthused. They disliked the story, didn't really understand it, and had many questions. My granddaughter commented that many of the pictures didn't make sense.
