A simple, gentle story that celebrates the imagination, accompanied by gorgeous, colorful illustrations. While I loved the detail artwork, it may not be enough to hold a young child's attention on it's own as the story line is somewhat weak. However, I would use this book as a jumping off point for a lesson in my library!

My Island is a beautifully illustrated book that invites children into its world. There are lots of blues in the initial illustrations and the feeling is one of harmony. There is much to see on every two page spread.

The story is about a little girl who imagines that she lives on this island. She has a wonderful and vivid ability to create a world and would be happy to have children enjoy the island with her.

This is a lovely book and one that young children will, I think, enjoy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. That's really the only thing I liked about the book. Would be fine to own to look at the pictures.

Breathtaking art with lots for children to look at and explore. Simple enough text that it can be used for storytime

Colour bursts from every page in the gorgeous illustrations. This is an inspiring tale for little dreamers and their loved ones.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The illustrations, whilst beautiful, weren't enough to keep my child's focus on this book - the story was minimal, 'very much bolstered by the images. This would suit younger children as a quick read through but personally, I don't feel there was enough story for me to pick it up as a bedtime read.

Beautiful illustrations buoy an otherwise slight picture book devoted to a little girl's imagination. Seng Soun Ratanavanh's illustration style is an arresting combination of Emilio Pucci and Salvador Dalí, perfect for this dreamlike exploration of an imaginary island where anything and everything is possible. Stéphanie Demasse-Pottier's text is whimsical and inviting (though there is some ableism, as children are told they are allowed on the island if they know how to sing, which seems to exclude people who are nonverbal), but ultimately it can't live up to the standard set by the art.

3.5 stars

My thanks to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy. I was under no obligation to review this book and did so voluntarily.

There is no real story here. This children's illustrated book is really just a description of a child's imaginary world. The little girl describing her special place calls it an island; yet the second page drawing shows her inside a snow globe on her 'island'.

The illustrations are vibrant and fun with lots of yellows, fluorescent green and bright reds. Each page has text describing what the illustrations are showing. One about music, another about sharing; but all of it lacks a cohesive reason. And while we are invited to her island to play it is never clear the why or how. Maybe this wouldn't matter to a child. Maybe they only need to have a stepping stone to imagining their own island. For me I need more than that. A little bit of context or actual story is needed.

I personally wouldn't purchase this book as it lacks any real message or meaning to me. The best I can infer from it is that it's about promoting imagination; but that's just not enough. I can't see too many children wanting this one read to them over and over again as there just isn't enough content here to be excited about.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

My Island was mostly disappointing. The synopsis made it sound like we were going to see a girl having adventures, but really it's just a narrator making observations. My Island mentions sharing as a requirement for the island, but doesn't elaborate further. I wish the story had given more details about what happens on the island, and why visitors needed to know how to sing, share, and dream. It was a super quick read, maybe two minutes, and probably not one I will read again.

A pleasant feel good story about a girl and her imagination. The illustrations have a simple color palette that bring vividness to the artwork. This is an encouraging book that helps children understand that they do have a choice about what emotions they let into their lives. Although it may go over the heads of young readers, this book would be a great book to share with older preschoolers and kindergartners to begin a conversation on emotions and friendships.

In My Island, the illustrations of Seng Soun Ratanavanh definitely take center stage. Oversize animals abound, and the surreal, imaginative creations could stand alone. Demasse-Pottier’s text is thoughtful, but one expects more profundity to accompany such illustrations. Children will enjoy the daydream-like quality of this title, and spend time considering some of the unanswered questions prompted by the fanciful characters.

Thank you to Princeton Architectural Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of this title.

Do you like this book?
Yeah! I really like it!

What's your favorite part of the book?
When she is in her house and she has big snails. I love snails!

What do you think of the cover?
I like it because the bird is on her head.


This is an absolutely stunning book about a brilliant little girl with a very colorful imagination.

The artwork is beautiful, it is well written, and I love the bright colors. It's gorgeous.

I had a lot of fun reading this, and even Finn seemed to really enjoy it.

I received an electronic ARC from Princeton Architectural Press through NetGalley.
The young girl has quite an imagination. She draws the reader in to her island and invites them to come along and explore her life.
Interesting color palette for the illustrations. Heavy oranges and yellows with blue skies.
Young readers will be drawn to the details on each page as they explore the island too.

My Island was a cute picture book with very pretty images. It didn’t grab my attention as much as other books, but then again, my kids are older than the target audience.

A little girl invites others to join her on her island in her little house with her friends provided they are kind and imaginative too.

I absolutely love the whimsical illustration style of this book. It is a little complex in that it is never stated outright that the girl’s house and island are imaginary (though the illustrations hint strongly at this). I think many little readers will be able to figure it out and join in on the celebration of imagination. It would be a great book to use as an example of how an artist can portray abstract concepts in art (or to have older art classes analyze the art for meaning). It’s also a nice little book for the sentiment of open friendship and the willingness to welcome others into play times. Recommended for art lovers, those who like letting their imaginations run wild, and kind hearts willing to welcome new friends into their imaginary worlds.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I jumped at the chance to read My Island the moment I spotted the illustrations. I immediately recognized the work of the fantastic Seng Soun Ratanavanh whose illustrations leapt off the pages of my top picture book pick of 2018, Time for Bed, Miyuki.

Unfortunately, I didn't love My Island nearly as much. There wasn't really any plot to speak of so the whimsy of the illustrations weren't complemented well. I'd hope for a bit of playful story of some sort, but there just really isn't much happening here at all.

I'm sure some children will enjoy looking through these pages -- there is a lot to see. But story-wise, there's so little I can't even comment much.

2 stars for My Island, mostly for the illustrations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Princeton Architectural Press for providing me with a DRC of this book.

The illustrations are vibrant and whimsical but it's unfortunate the accompanying text is both too brief and disjointed. It would work if it was a wordless picture book.

It just *sigh* didn't. I had high expectations from the description on Net Galley, but they weren't fulfilled. The text couldn't stand as a story on its own. While I love the color scheme of the illustrations, I found the actual pictures to be distracting.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Adorable picture book! Very sweet for beginning readers.

I wanted to like this book more than I did because the illustrations are beautiful. The color scheme and style are really unique but also vibrant. The story didn’t do anything for me. It was too cut-and-dry but I also couldn’t figure out what the author was trying to get across. The narrative is about a girl on her “island,” but we don’t find out if the island (which is depicted as a blanket tent, a birdhouse, the planet Earth, and other forms) is literal or figurative. The second-to-last page seemed to hint that it was the girl’s imagination, but we never find out definitively. The book hints at messages of universal acceptance and that we should all share and be kind, etc, but never fully develops these themes. It’s pretty to look at, but also forgettable.