Books with author Sibylle Delacroix

"A refreshing c'est la vie take on bedtime conflict."— The New York Times"Sparkling... an excellent choice for lulling active toddlers off to sleep."— Kirkus, STARRED REVIEWEvery day ends the same. Night always falls. Blanche’s mom turns off the light and closes Blanche’s bedroom door. It’s time to go to sleep.There’s just one problem: Blanche hates the night. She does not want to go to sleep! She would much rather play. So she puts on a concert to chase away the moon and wake up the sun. She sings in rhyme and somersaults upon her bed, which she imagines is a trampoline.Blanche’s mother’s voice floats in: “Stop that racket!” and “To bed, my little songbird.” But Blanche dominates each spread with her expressive face and creative, endearing attempts to stave off sleep. Illustrations in a muted palette mimic shades of night while clean lines let Blanche’s charming facial expressions take center stage. Bursting with personality, Blanche is a willful, sensitive character kids will relate to. Blanche Hates the Nigh is an ideal bedtime read-aloud: eventually, exhausted, she falls into a peaceful slumber.

On the last day of a family vacation, a little girl is as blue as the sea, and her shoes are filled with sand. What should she do with all of this sand? Together, she and her brother decide to plant the grains of sand, and imagine what will grow. A field of beach umbrellas, to wave hello to the sun? Or a forest of windmills, to fill the sails of a boat? Before drifting off to sleep, the girl has her dad promise they’ll go back for new grains of sand next year. Spare text will prompt readers to wonder and imagine their own possibilities, while illustrations in a palette of yellows and grays convey the sun-soaked joy and the lingering nostalgia of family vacations well remembered.

Jenny is a gentle bundle of contradictions. She wants to be left alone, but she cries when her mom goes away. She wants to wear her old T-shirt instead of her new dress, and that’s that. If you catch her smiling, she’ll go back to grumbling. Jenny wants things her way, but she’s not always sure what her way is. It might seem like she’s being difficult, but she can’t help it—it’s just how she feels. This delightful small-format picture book is a portrait of a character who, despite her grumbling and frustrations, just wants to be loved. Against simple backgrounds and understated digital and chalk pastel illustrations, Jenny’s boldly expressive face is the focal point. The book conveys a quiet balance of humor and strife, perfectly portraying a prickly kid who feels anxious, stubborn and unheard . . . even though she’s not exactly sure what she has to say.