Haus-hold Picture Book Review: A Few Beautiful Minutes

Celebrating the joy of sharing an experience

It's another Storytime Sprint shoutout! During the most recent Storytime Seconds, Kate Allen Fox shared her breathtaking picture book, A Few Beautiful Minutes, and it was fabulous. In my last review, I shared how hearing an author read their book aloud is such a special experience. I will continue to say this again and again. If you haven't checked out Storytime Sprint yet, you definitely should!

This book is written with lyrical language that sings of celestial elegance and inspires awe while also educating with factual information about what happens during a solar eclipse. Kate's ability to do both in one go is impressive, and my son and I sat captivated as she read each page exactly as she intended her audience to hear it.

Afterward, my son and I talked about finding a way to experience an eclipse together one day, and I was able to share with him my memory of viewing an annular solar eclipse when I was in the second grade.

Just as the book celebrates the beauty of sharing an experience together, my mama heart soaked up the opportunity to just sit with my son and talk about what we had just read together. He is getting older, so I am cherishing these moments more and more.

This book is written with lyrical language that sings of celestial elegance and inspires awe while also educating with factual information about what happens during a solar eclipse.

Synopsis

When the moon slips in front of the sun to steal its spotlight, everything changes. Light becomes dark, stars shine, birds sleep, bats wake, and the suns corona shimmers around the shadow of the moon. The star-struck crowd watches together and the wonder lasts for a few beautiful minutes.

My Big Kid’s Honest Review:

What my Kids Loved: The little guy was not present and so is unable to offer his review of the book. I think he is a little young for this book, though, and won't be able to appreciate it the way his brother does just yet. My oldest loved the illustrations by Khoa Le, especially those that included animals, and enjoyed the fact that the book included facts and science yet felt as soothing as a bedtime story. He especially loved the back matter, which has reignited his interest in earth space science.

What I Loved: As a mom, I love any book that can grab my child's attention and hold it. I love books that open up conversations with my kids. I love watching my kids learn while they read- and enjoy the learning, too! This book checks all of those boxes and then some.

As a writer, I really appreciated the blend of lyricism and science. Lyrical language has my heart, but it has to be done with care and precision or it sounds lofty and forced. We talk about making every word count... well this book is a master class in precise word choice that begs to be read again and again.

My favorite lines:

They find their places

as the performance begins.

The sun, forever the star,

beams vast and vibrant,

her stage unchanged.

But the moon has already begun

gliding...

Final thoughts: This book would make a wonderful bedtime story, is perfect for children who love space, and would make a wonderful addition to any elementary classroom. But a word of caution: once you read this with your kids, they are probably going to start nagging you to plan a trip to view the next eclipse. I hope you have your sun viewers ready.

You can purchase A Few Beautiful Minutes from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers or from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers- but don't forget to check your local independent bookstore first!