Sun Bread

This is absolutely the best piece of children's writing I've ever read. The rhyme and meter are strong and playful. Kleven teases us with internal rhymes and alliterations. My three year old and I read this all the time. The basic story line is that, on a cloudy day, a canine baker whips up a magic sun bread recipe that brings out the sun and everyone's joy. The book does to the reader what the bread did to the characters. My three-year-old daughter and I made the recipe on the back cover, and I have to say it's a disappointment: dry and heavy. I'd halve the butter and maybe beat the egg whites for a lighter texture, but the idea is still great. The mold for the bread is cool too, and it looks happy in the oven. A definite must-read-to-your-kids.

What I love best about it is the message - that happiness comes from within. The rhythm is nothing less than intoxicating and the illustrations are beautiful. I'm buying one for every child I know.

Tangible signs of winter and warmth highlight this finely textured book from the author and illustrator of "The Paper Princess" and "The Puddle Pail." It's wintertime, and all the animals miss the sun. A baker decides to make Sun Bread to make everyone warm again. The bread warms the hearts of all the animals, and the feed some to The Sun, heating its insides to radiate light. Kleven's illustrations create a wonderful transfer between gray, wintry skies and warm sunny days. She uses collages to great effect; the snow falling from the sky takes on an almost three-dimensional look. The drawings appear chalk-like in style, giving a smooth flow to the storyline. Parents will appreciate the transference of gloom among the animals under the winter skies to smiles under the sunshine. Some enthusiastic children are sure to ask their parents to bake Sun Bread using the recipe on the back of the book. A delight throughout.

I'm a second grade teacher whose students adore Sun Bread. The pictures are beautiful and the text is pure fun to read aloud (and chant along with!). The story also presents concepts about the sun in an eloquent and intriguing manner. "It melted all the snows away and brought the shadows out to play" is one of our favorite lines. We also love "It scattered rainbows soft and bright, [and] fed the plants with its clear light." What a charming introduction to photosynthesis! Sun Bread is a delightful, warm, and informative book. Tie it in with a lesson about the garden and breadmaking.

Amazingly talented children's author Elisa Kleven "gets" kids. From her inspiring "The Paper Princess" to her latest adventure, "Sun Bread," Elisa takes readers to a world only the heart understands. Her sense-filled words speak to the hopeful, imaginative, and soulful reader who longs to be taken to a place where magic is possible. Fall asleep on any of the pages in "Sun Bread" and you will be swept off the bleak, snow-bound street and drawn into the toasty home of the ever-cheerful baker. The baker, played by a cuddly brown dog, is a dreamer and a doer and, by example, shares her light with those who doubt. She doesn't preach or lecture. She simply bakes bread, shaping the dough into the promising shape of the sun. The aroma and taste of fresh-baked bread will fill your spirit with sunshine and fun as you watch an enthused animal cast lift their heads in hope. Elisa's "Sun Bread" is more than a book, it's a kaleidoscope of love you will want to share with your children again, and again.