Tag: Julian

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

“A wedding is a party for love”: Julián at the Wedding

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Julián at the Wedding, by Jessica Love, (Oct. 2020, Candlewick Press), $16.99, ISBN: 9781536212389

Ages 4-8

This book is joy wrapped in paper and cardboard. Julián, the adorable child we met in 2018’s Julián is a Mermaid, is back with his abuela and in a wedding party. We learn that “a wedding is a party for love” as the two brides beam at each other and their friends and family surrounding them. Julián and his new friend Marisol are in the wedding party, along with Gloria, the brides’ dog. The three new friends wander off to play, where Marisol’s dress gets dirty. No worries! Julian shares his clothes with her and creates fairy wings for them both out of the leaves of a tree. When they’re discovered by their abuelas, all is well, and they’re received back at the wedding with hugs and kisses. A gorgeous celebration joy, friendship, and love, Julián at the Wedding is a book I want to read again and again. Watercolor, gouache, and ink illustrations come alive with rich, vibrant colors; the endpapers are the true beginning and close of the story, with two sleepy children and one sleepy pup resting, post-wedding, under a tree as the grandmothers enjoy cake and the happy couple dance in the background. Every page is a delight; I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed Julián is a Mermaid, which I adored. Read a conversation with the author and download an activity kit at publisher Candlewick’s page.

Julián at the Wedding has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and The Horn Book.

Posted in picture books

Love is Love around the world

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Love is Love: The Journey Continues (Book Two), by Fleur Pierets/Illustrated by Fatinha Ramos, (Nov. 2020, Six Foot Press), $18.95, ISBN: 978-1644420263

Ages 5-8

A follow-up to last year’s Love Around the World (Book One), Love is Love: The Journey Continues is the continuing story of Fleur Pierets and her wife, Julian, and their quest to get married in every country around the world that would let them. Julian was diagnosed with cancer after their fourth wedding and died six weeks later; Love is Love is the story of, as Fleur Pierets says, “two women named Fleur and Julian, who are going to get married in every country where they are allowed to do so. In the book, Julian doesn’t die, and we finish our performance of love”.

In straightforward prose, Fleur describes weddings in Denmark, Sweden, Colombia, Austria, and 10 others (The other weddings are covered Love Around the World). Colorful, bright, happy illustrations show the spouses dancing, traveling, and celebrating their love for one another across the globe, with happy attendees showering them with good wishes. Touching and powerful, Love is Love is a beautiful testament to love.