The Breaking News

by Sarah Lynne Reul, Sarah Lynne Reul (Illustrator)

Overview

When devastating news rattles a young girl's community, her normally attentive parents and neighbors are suddenly exhausted and distracted. At school, her teacher tells the class to look for the helpers—the good people working to make things better in big and small ways. She wants more than anything to help in a BIG way, but maybe she can start with one small act of kindness instead . . . and then another, and another.Small things can compound, after all, to make a world of difference.

The Breaking News by Sarah Lynne Reul touches on themes of community, resilience, and optimism with an authenticity that will resonate with readers young and old.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250153562
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	04/10/2018
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sarah Lynne Reul is an illustrator and award-winning 2D animator who likes science, bright colors and figuring out how things work. After a number of years in science museum education and non-profit administration, she was lured back to school by the magic of making drawings come to life. She earned an MFA in 2D Animation from the Academy of Art University and her thesis film, “The Search for the Monster of Lake Quannapowitt”, won Best Animation for Kids at Animation Block Party 2015. Sarah Lynne strives to pack all the dynamic energy of animation into each of her illustrations. Originally from Brooklyn, she now lives just outside of Boston with her husband and two little girls.

Sarah is the author and illustrator of The Breaking News.

Sarah Lynne Reul is an illustrator and award-winning 2D animator who likes science, bright colors and figuring out how things work. After a number of years in science museum education and non-profit administration, she was lured back to school by the magic of making drawings come to life. She earned an MFA in 2D Animation from the Academy of Art University and her thesis film, “The Search for the Monster of Lake Quannapowitt”, won Best Animation for Kids at Animation Block Party 2015. Sarah Lynne strives to pack all the dynamic energy of animation into each of her illustrations. Originally from Brooklyn, she now lives just outside of Boston with her husband and two little girls.

Sarah is the author and illustrator of The Breaking News.

Editorial Reviews

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Picture Books of 2018 selection

"Featuring a multi-ethnic neighborhood of individuals connected—for better or worse—through their shared disquiet, this is a wise and timely book." - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

A “timely text” with “emotions...sensitively portrayed throughout... Affirming the resilience that can result when small acts are focused on community.” - The New York Times

"This take on post-tragedy response delicately blends respect for sadness and the magnitude of tragedy with an actionable focus on the value of “one small thing” as a response." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The ambiguous nature of the circumstances makes [The Breaking News] appropriate for many situations children face in today’s never-ending news cycle. An absolute-must for...libraries." - School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2018-02-13
With bad news in the air, Mom is glued to the television, and Dad is constantly checking his phone; it is up to the children to remind them they are still there.As the book starts, a family of four—mother, father, and two children—is engaged with planting seeds at the kitchen table. They are all depicted with brown skin and enormous, outsized eyes. When bad news breaks on the TV, everyone's life is turned upside down. The grown-ups all around are clearly overwhelmed, and all the children in school reflect this in their sad and scared faces. In this unsettling atmosphere the tables are turned, and it is up to the young protagonist to help the grown-ups. After some clowning around, a promise of a force field to protect them, and doing the dishes fail to bring the desired effect, a series of smaller good deeds does the trick. What stands out in the mixed-media illustrations are the enormous eyes, which at times give the characters an outright scary look. It is hard to decide whether this story is intended for adults, reminding them of their responsibility toward children in times of trouble; or for children, empowering them to take action when the adults in their lives fail them.This disquieting story may be best used as a discussion starter. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews