Sunny

by Celia Krampien

From debut author/artist Celia Krampien comes an unforgettable, transcendent story about the true power of optimism with this gorgeously illustrated picture book, Sunny.

Most people would say there is nothing good about trudging to school on a rainy day.

Most people would say that being carried away by the wind and dropped into the middle of a tumultuous sea is a very bad sort of situation.

No, most people wouldn't like that at all.

But Sunny isn't most people. Sunny likes to look on the bright side. And when things get exceedingly bleak?

Well, isn't that what friends are for?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Adventure, Animals, Fantasy, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 29, 2020

About the author

Celia Krampien grew up in a house in the woods on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada, and spent her childhood reading, observing the local wildlife, and climbing trees. She currently lives in Oakville , Ontario, with her partner, and enjoys working alongside her silly cat and going for long walks with her nosy beagle. Celia's illustrations have appeared in children's books, newspapers, and magazines.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

We start out with Sunny and her giant umbrella looking like the little girl on the Morton’s salt bottle walking to school in the rain. The repetitive motif is set up, most people hate walking in the rain, but Sunny didn’t. She is put in miserable situation after miserable situation and she’s upbeat and positive (that’s like my brother).

At first, I was like, I love rain storms and someone else likes to walk and be in them just like me. Woohoo! I love a rainy day or simply and overcast day. To much sun will depress me which is another reason summer is difficult for me and I live in the wrong place

The book quickly gets farfetched. The wind picks up the girl and sets her down in the sea and on and on. She does get safely back to school, but it’s absurdism.

I enjoyed the artwork and even though the story was so silly, I was entertained. It’s an unusual read.

The nephew thought this was a ridiculous story. The wind can’t pick you up like that and she could have let go of the umbrella. He even knew the boat would be too heavy for the birds to lift up. He gave this 2 stars. Well, it is a beginning book. He thought she was like Mary Poppins and he would love to meet Mary Poppins.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little story, with gorgeous illustrations. Oddly, part of this story reminded me of an old hardcover I used to have when I was very young, and that I read many, many times: Mrs. Hen Goes to Market.

[Mary Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable artwork: v colorful, which is what drew me in the first place. And the story is very cute and wholesome.

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story about seeing the (literally) Sunny Side of Life. Good flow to the text and cute illustrations make this a comfortable read. Most ages will enjoy.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny is...well, sunny. Cheery. Upbeat. Even when it rains, she finds joy in using her big yellow umbrella. Even when the big yellow umbrella lifts Sunny high up into the sky. Even when Sunny is carried out to sea. Even when she is marooned on a rock with a seagull. But then the seagull flies away. And Sunny begins to cry. What will happen next?

A fun little read about the power of the positive, with bright cheery pictures to match our bright cheery main character.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a young child on their way to school who happens to go through some bad circumstances. However, Sunny looks on the bright side of things. Lovely illustrations.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The raining day to Sunny is nothing to be discouraged about. Through the storm, the winds, the puddles, and the wet, Sunny stays optimistic until she reaches her final destination.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. GOOD!
Such an excellent way to pass the message along to "look on the bright" err.. Sunny... "side of life."
The illustrations are excellent, the text is fun for both kids and parents (and includes some zingers of vocabulary words), and the overall message is an A+ in my book.

[Lisa Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute book about a little girl who sees the positives of life even when she is all alone on a boat in the middle of the raging sea. She does cry, but then she dusts herself off and finds something else to smile about. Cute illustrations. I will be interviewing the author in March for Book Time.

[SL · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun story! Everyone finds something to mope about but not Sunny, who sees and makes the best of every situation she's in. You would think getting swept up by the wind and lost at sea on the way to school would ruin your day (um, it would certainly mess me up!) but Sunny manages to find something positive throughout her journey to get to school. This is a great message to demonstrate to younger readers: it's all about perspective and sometimes there is a silver lining in every cloud. I was also absolutely charmed by the author's illustrations—they were so vibrant and beautiful! I'm really impressed with this debut and I would highly recommend it for your library collections.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book about the power of optimism!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read where things get increasingly dicey for Sunny, written in a repetitive way that makes it a great choice for a storytime for ages 3-8.

[Jennifer Miera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Optimism wins the day

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sunny by Celia Krampien. PICTURE BOOK. Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan), 2020. $18. 9781250316608

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Most people would be sad if it rained, or they were carried away by a wind gust, or they were dropped in the ocean, or they were late for work, but not Sunny. Sunny keeps seeing the bright side and keeping her composure, until she doesn’t.

In such a short book, I felt very attached to Sunny. She seemed so composed and then so real when she lost her composure. I often get bored with books with a limited color palette, but I really liked the greens and yellows that made up the illustrations in this book.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Lisa Yee Swope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Attitude is everything! Sunny has a sunny disposition and whatever happens she not only makes the best of it, she revels in it.

Bonus: We have some lovely, sunny, bright yellow umbrellas with the Bookmarks logo on them. That would be super fun for a storytime prop!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man! Does this girl ever have a story to share with her teacher when she arrives late for school! Relying on a mostly green palette, the illustrations are filled with movement and various watery shapes while the text celebrates one girl's boundless optimism and ability to look at the bright side of things. The aptly-named Sunny doesn't let things that others consider to be unpleasant get her down. Instead, she embraces them, even seeing a rainy day as a chance to use her big yellow umbrella. On her way to school, though, Sunny encounters a series of challenges when the wind lifts her up into the air with the umbrella and then plunks her into the sea. Through it all, Sunny remains complacent until a wave strands her in a boat on a rock and even the bird who's been accompanying disappears. But even at her darkest moment, she finds that she has friends willing to come to her aid. I liked the repetitive language with its conversational tone ["Now most people..."] that contrasts those naysayers and pessimists with Sunny's perpetual sunny outlook. This picture book would be perfect to share with others as a reminder that it's often our attitude that determines how we deal with life's challenges and whether they keep us down or we bounce back up. I'll admit that I thought things were looking pretty grim for Sunny at one point, but everything turned out okay in the end, thanks to the unexpected kindness of her new friends.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This vibrant and charming concept book is visually delightful and frames a familiar "grown-up" concept in kid-friendly terms. When uncontrollable and unexpected things happen to us, our rations can be framed as unfortunate, or fortunate. In this case, SUNNY, in her oversized, uplifting (pun-intended) rain gear, is launched by a gust of wind into a series of progressively more threatening situations, each of which turns to her advantage.
We can only hope that sharing such a sense of wonder and hope with young kids will serve to counter a bit of the gloom related to where 2020 has carried them this year.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tend to lean towards the grumpy, cynical side, and have always admired those who can see the bright side to everything. Sunny is one of those people. While a pure optimist, she is not annoyingly so, merely one who can find the good in most situations in a gentle, accepting way. I really wish I had this book for my older kid who was such a grumpy child (took after me, I guess). With a comforting, nostalgic palette that is brightened by Sunny’s yellow, the art is perfectly paired with the delightful text.

[Tsalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to know how Sunny feels for being the sunshine when people around her seeing the world as cloudy, musky, rotten, lousy, unbearable, grease, and they never stop complaining about anything. Will Sunny:
1. Hide her true feelings and pretend to sympathize with them?
2. Becoming like them?
3. Try to show the beauty of the world to them? A.k.a us against the world.
4. Fight for their happiness?
5. Try to find people with matching view of the world?
6. All of them at once?
7. Something else?

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2020
Star rating: 3
Award: N/A
Genre: picture book
Summary w/ themes: This book is about a girl who seems to have a positive outlook on almost everything. One day the wind sweeps her away from where she needs to be, will she make it back or will her outlook change?
Use for future classroom: This would be a book for my library
Thoughts of book: I thought this was a decent book. I enjoyed the illustrations and the message behind the story.

[MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a great story about the power of optimism, but I think I loved all the excellent vocabulary. This would make a great classroom read aloud when talking about vocabulary and word choice in writing.
I'd say it'd be ideal for 3rd-6th grade. Though, younger ages would love being this story read to them.

[Tompkins County Public Library Youth Services]

Sunny has a real knack for making the best of a bad situation and finding her own fun. But I love that this story isn’t too bootstraps-y. For instance, "Now, most people would probably cry at this point. ...And this time, that's exactly what Sunny did." Take THAT, Pete the Cat! A spunky adventure that would make a great readaloud.

[Deborah Kerbel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people would get discouraged if they had a morning where absolutely nothing went right...but not Sunny! No matter what troubles come her way, Sunny always manages to find a silver lining. This book is about staying optimistic and finding the bright side of life. A sweet story with bright and beautiful illustrations.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am optimistic that one day soon treacly blurbs about "the true power of optimism" will disappear, but I'll ignore that because I enjoyed this classic "that's good, that's bad" sort of story. The language is well pitched and the art is particularly nice, bold and clear, with a limited color palette that gives it a slight retro flavor. Enjoyable and no need to Berenstain it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb gives away the theme and plot, but the book is so much more. It reminds me of Fortunately, a bit, but is richer and, dare I say, more effective in bolstering a sunny perspective/attitude. I will read it again.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain
Now the dark days are gone, and the bright days are here
My sunny one shines so sincere...

This dreamlike fantasy story boasts delightful illustrations and would make a fun read-aloud.

[Erin]

A young girl gets carried away by windy and rainy weather. Throughout her adventure, Sunny's sunny disposition almost never fails. The small format of the book is brightened by the cheerful yellow of Sunny's umbrella and raincoat.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet book with a realistic depiction of the range of emotions we feel when things go wrong or unexpectedly. This is appropriate for young readers and the images are adorable enough for anyone to enjoy.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows that even though most people see rainy days as gloomy, the main character, sunny, doesn't. She contradicts what most people see as negative, and she keeps a good mood throughout the book. In the end, it has a decent ending.








Yuliana Rodrigues and Yessi Ponce