The End

by John Bray, Josh Cleland (Illustrator)

Overview

KIRKUS REVIEWS' BEST BOOKS OF 2022

“An engaging book about accepting endings and celebrating beginnings “ – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Start with THE END in mind with this playful and whimsical picture book that explores conclusions, transitions, and new beginnings – and how to have fun in the middle. This is THE END of endings as you know them.  

Endings can be hard, whether it’s the end of school or changes to daily routines and activities. With humor, heart, and a sense of childlike wonder, author John Bray reminds us that endings both big and small can be the start of something new and different. “THE END of one thing is the beginning of something else. And the beginning of one thing is THE END of something else. And that’s okay.”  

At once silly and smart, The End encourages kids to navigate beginnings, middles, and ends with curiosity and imagination. Perfect for fans of B.J. Novak’s The Book With No Pictures, this picture book is bound to entertain young readers who love to ask questions, read funny stories, build blanket forts, and complicate the passage of time. With vibrant illustrations by artist Josh Cleland, The End is just the beginning of a re-read!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781951784126
Publisher:	Starry Forest Books
Publication date:	09/13/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	74,355
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

John Bray is an author of stories for children. Typically he writes picture books and has recently started to dabble a bit in middle grade fiction. Sometimes he also draws, but those drawings usually don't turn out how he thinks they will. John lives in St. Charles, IL.

Josh Cleland is an illustrator working out of his home studio just outside of Portland, Oregon, where he resides with his wife, Rayna, and creative director/dog, Newman. His work has been featured in various children's magazines, including Highlights and Storytime, as well as on greeting cards, websites, billboards, and more. Some of his recent illustrated children's books include I Want a Real Bike in Oregon; Go, New York, Go!; Trick-or-Treat Songs; TAD; and Portland Baby.

Editorial Reviews

"Cleland's illustrations are ... a perfect fit for the playful, lively text that explains the good and bad elements of concluding things without ever talking down to its audience. 

An engaging book about accepting endings and celebrating beginnings." 

From the Publisher

Bray’s playful text and Cleland’s energetic artwork make you want to read the story to the end! After reading, a good discussion can take place about beginnings, middles, and endings and how some conclusions are tougher than others such as the end of summer vacation (yup, that is a BIG ending).

Beagles and Books - Laura Mossa

★ 2022-08-11
In Bray’s picture book, readers learn the value of starting and finishing activities.

Endings are hard. Many kids struggle with finishing one task and moving on to another, but, as this book points out, “THE END of one thing is the beginning of something else. And the beginning of one thing is THE END of another. And that’s okay.” The text offers more guidance than narrative, providing many examples of how the start of one task (reading, adventuring, matching up socks, and so on) means another is being left behind, or how being in the middle of things can be fun but eventually becomes a snooze: “Boredom is THE END of fun.” The art reflects the text’s sentiments but also tells its own story of a pigtailed, dinosaur-loving child who joyfully heads into a school’s summer vacation, has adventures with their cat, then returns to school in the fall and makes a new friend. (The unnamed child has light brown skin and straight hair; the friend has dark brown skin and curly hair.) Cleland’s illustrations are charmingly whimsical, and characters’ faces are beautifully expressive even though the protagonist never says a word. They’re a perfect fit for the playful, lively text that explains the good and bad elements of concluding things without ever talking down to its audience.

An engaging book about accepting endings and celebrating beginnings.

Kirkus Reviews