Southwest Sunrise gorgeously and softly teaches while entertaining

Southwest Sunrise is a sneaky illustrated book. At first impression, young readers (or those poetry adverse people like me…) might look at the text by Nikki Grimes and dismiss it as a poetry book with pictures. However, once it’s read to them (or when they read it….like me), they’ll realize that it’s a fabulous story about a young boy who is moving to New Mexico from New York. Is it a stealth poetry attack that you won’t mind because of the art by Wendell Minor? Or is it an illustrated story about a young kid adapting to an entirely new way of living-with poetic text to add some literary clues to add more insight?

The answer to that depends on your reader’s preference in book. Whichever their preference is, Southwest Sunrise fills the bill and accomplishes its task. As a good-night book it’s a little too long, but this may not be meant for bedtime. It’s not a sleepy book, but it is very relaxing. After reading it audiences will have the option to relax in bed and then go to sleep or simply do something else.

It’s books like Southwest Sunrise that reminds me, as a parent, that illustrated books aren’t just meant for bedtime. Books are a great way for kids to learn, relax, experience different things, and be an armchair quarterback of things that they could one day experience.

The boy in Southwest Sunrise is not happy about moving. When he wakes up on his first morning he discovers colors and landscapes that he’s not familiar with. His mom gave him a field guide that introduces him to various flora and fauna around the area. The field opens up around him to a massive rockscape, pink clay, and bones that he’s keen on learning more about. He imagines the stories that these animals could tell and is jarred from his soft daydream by his mom calling for him. It’s then that he realizes that this strange and new place really could be home.

What’s great about the book is that the lesson that the young boy learns is one that transfers over to any kid in any environment. If they’re going through something new, challenging or different then the lesson about finding the positive in it and moving on from there is one that will suit everyone in life. Whether you come for the art and stay for the message or come for the poetic text and love the lesson it’s up to you.

There are affiliate links in this post.