Sarah Mackenzie (readaloudrevival.com) is an enthusiastic reader of picture books and host of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. She lives in Eastern Washington with her husband and six kids, where she homeschools, reads aloud, and tries to leave each day a little more beautiful than she found it.

Breezy Brookshire loves to be surrounded by nature and bring stories to life. She is an award-winning illustrator of several children's books, and lives in Indiana where she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, listening to audiobooks, and pointing out all the shades of green outside.

"A Little More Beautiful is a story about change-but not the loud and busy change of activism and politics. Instead, it is about the small, quiet, private changes each person can make themselves to make the world brighter. Breezy Brookshire's glowing, softly colored watercolor illustrations bring the story richly to life, filling each page with the ordinary, everyday, cozy beauty of a well-tended landscape, emphasizing that the beauty in nature is not just about wildness but also about the relationships of human beings to their environment. The simple and minimalist text encourages readers to experience this message as much through seeing and thinking as through reading. A Little More Beautiful: The Story of a Garden is a picture book that does, indeed, leave the world a little more beautiful than it found it". -The Children's Book Review

"Lou Alice is one of those lovely ladies who brightens the world simply by walking through it. She's 'sly as a fox and swift as a bird, ' and she has a vision for beautifying the town hall. Not one to balk at work, Lou Alice swiftly and surely gets to work. A young girl watches Lou Alice at work, and when Lou Alice is unable to continue her work, this little girl with 'keen eyes and a sharp mind' steps up to the plate. The text has a classic feel to it, and the illustrations perfectly complement the text. The pictures are fresh and contemporary, featuring a more diverse cast of characters than many of our beloved classic picture books. This book will resonate with those who love stories like Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney and The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and David Small. Rather than being derivative, though, A Little More Beautiful is the latest in a robust tradition of warm-hearted, well-written picture books that celebrate beauty and those who work to make the world, well, a little more beautiful." -Redeemed Reader

Publisher: Waxwing Books

Pub date: 2023-03-28

Length: 32 pages