I really liked this book and so did my kids! The illustrations were amazing and the story line was very beautiful. The only complaint that me and my kids both had was that we wanted the book to be longer!

I thought this was so adorable! The color palette was darker than I’m used to but perfect for the story being told!
A moth has a secret and will do what they need to in order to protect their friends!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

This picture book has layers in just a few words. It also has a sense of wonder. It's amazing what authors can do with such spare verse and give you a warm, loving feeling. At one point, I was saying, "Oh no! That can't happen." Which just proves I was vested in this tiny, shiny story.

Here are some of my musings after reading:

What does it mean to shine?
How do you shine?
What happens to fears when you shine?
How does the world change when you shine?

The illustrations are also engaging, and I loved the loose style.

I think this book has great re-readability. And I highly recommend it!

Happy (shining) reading!

This book is a 3 star for me

I wanted to love this more as the illustrations are stellar but the content and flow of the story are problematic to a degree- specifically the scenes of the death of the other critters from the frogs and no real discussion of that traumatic event

Unfortunately that’s not really appropriate for children or anyone as that’s not really the best way to handle an event filled with trauma and death. The overall message of being brave is really left to be surface level explanation and isn’t explored as much as it could be or should be

This book has so much potential to be more and be better and truly unique and touch in on both being brave and being scared and dealing with trauma. Heck, it could even be a trilogy: being brave, being scared, and dealing with death- respectfully

Wow. This book is simply lovely. It’s about a kid who is afraid but finds a way to conquer their fears and shine. The story is fantastic, but the artwork knocks this book into the next level. The artwork is very different than seen nowadays. At the same time, it has a classic feeling of old-time picture books: like the Little Funny Woman or Story A Story, or even a Fool in the Flying Ship. This artwork stands out and will be a sure contender for the next round of Caldecott.

"Shine" is a beautifully illustrated book with a confusing and somewhat disturbing story that never-the-less has a happy ending. A small moth is afraid of the dark, but loves watching the stars. He decides to go out into the dark and hide as he gets a better look at the beautiful stars in the dark sky. He makes some bug friends along the way, some of which he loses to some frogs (this double page spread of death struck me as horrific and traumatic, but it is immediately passed over). The moth stops hiding and shines as his brilliant self which scared off the frogs, leading to the happy ending with the moth and remaining bugs living in the light of a lighthouse. This book will be loved by plenty who are not disturbed by the middle, and will be shared as a story of how you shine when you embrace your authentic self, but there are much better stories that more effectively share the same message. Recommended only for the art, and not for readers who have recently experienced the loss of someone they love.

This is so sweet and simple. So much to be found in the right and moody illustrations too. Curious readers will like the story of the moths but they will especially love taking in the scenes on each spread.

I wanted to love this book. I wanted this to be a book that would be great in an elementary school classroom, but sadly it was not. This book is about a boy from a family of butterflies, the family is scared of the dark. The boy is tired of being afraid of the dark so he goes out and decides to be brave. Once he is out he does not return to his family. While I think it is important to teach kids to be brave, this book does not discuss the reasons he becomes brave, does not discuss the things he is afraid of and what they mean. The book just shows him growing into his wings and flying off to be bright for others. No explanation, no story to guide the realization.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced e-reader copy of this book. Sadly this will not be a book that will make it into our classroom library.

Enchanting illustrations, entrancing literary story. Shine is a book about so many things, from the first line the prose draws the reader into a world of curiosity and philosophy. What is fear? What are the stars? What is beauty and home? A wonderful tale of not only exploring and finding your place, but also about real moths and biophilic design where mirroring nature moves our friend closer to their goals. Without having any spoilers, the turn from exploration to survival was unexpected, and could prove a little triggering for readers who struggle with depicted fear and distress of animals/nature. Throughout every page is a wonderful sense of majesty and the grand-wide world we live in, where enchanting communities are all around us, and each of us is a beautiful part of our community light. The classic handmade-feel throughout of the drawings and print illustrations joins with a modern aesthetic of mushrooms, insects, owls and the stars to make for a wonderful imaginative journey. This book will make a great addition to our studio library for writers and illustrators of all ages.

This is an engaging picture book with a simple but effective story. The illustrations are multi-layered and deserve close scrutiny to find all the creatures, constellations, etc. in the pages. I feel that some children may be upset by the depiction of predators doing what they do (frogs getting fireflies with their tongues) since the fireflies are labeled as the moth’s friends and are playing with the moth. However, the occurrence gives the moth the courage to stand up for its friends and not remain hidden anymore - and then to take the fireflies to another place where they can all be beacons of light together. As with all good picture books it can be read at multiple levels, including overcoming fear of the dark or finding the courage to stand up for friends.

A children’s story about a moth who is afraid of the dark and has to learn to be courageous enough to be it’s authentic self, this was one that just kind of missed the mark for me. Though I do understand that this is a picture book for young kids, it felt like the story was missing parts, and thus did not flow easily. The illustrations for me seemed really dark; yes, this is a book about the dark, but I think something could have been achieved so it didn’t look a bit muddied. This may be something that is great for kids, but it just missed it’s mark for me.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A young both is afraid of the dark but loves watching the stars. Can he get over his fear so he can enjoy the night sky?

This is a sweet book about being helpful and friendly. The story is super cute and I love the main character and how the moth tells the story.
The pictures were a little tricky to see on my device so I had to really study what was in them to aid in understanding.
I can’t wait to hold this book in my hands and share with my students.
Thank you so much for allowing me to read this advanced copy

A beautiful picture book about a moth and friends, who are afraid of the dark, but find light as they face their fears. The illustrations are amazing, and the big stand out of this book. There is so much to see and discover in each picture. It's a feast for your eyes and imagination. This story also has a lovely message about getting out of your comfort zone and discovering new things as moth faces down their fears and realizing that they are stronger than they thought. A wonderful story for the whole family.

Shine by Bruno Valasse is a cute story that is in need of more sparkle! ✨

Blurb: A little moth hides from the dark, and doesn’t want to leave his bright and cozy home. But here’s a secret: he loves watching the stars. They only come out at night, though . . . when it’s dark outside. One night, the stars give the moth the courage to go outside into the night. There, he makes friends with other creatures who are also afraid of the dark, and they play and sparkle under the stars. But will a dangerous encounter with a group of hungry frogs drive the moth back inside? Or will it encourage him to create his own light in the darkness?

🌟🌟🌟.5

This is the first children’s book I am reading/reviewing on my account and it was super adorable!!! The illustrations were beautiful and the plot was good. However, the story needed to be more cohesive and concise. I felt like children would not really understand what is occurring and may get confused about the characters! All in all, a nice read for your little ones (if you have them)! 😊

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read/review this ARC! 🤩📚❤️

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This is a surprising little book. Form the reduced but contrasting palette, which makes the illustrations striking and memorable, to how the topic of being afraid of the night presented as an allegory to other fears, even grown-ups fears, this is a book I would think about often.

A little boy, a moth-boy, is afraid of the dark. Nothing is as dark as a moonless night, so the night, and all the unknowns it contains are at the center of the boy’s fears. But does he have a reason to be afraid? Well, yes. Bad things happen in the darkness. Our friends go lost.

But in facing our fears, and losses, that’s where we find our strength. That’s where we get to shine.

Author and illustrator Bruno Valasse does a great job at recapturing those early fears to create a story that shows children how not to be afraid.

A lovely book with a deep heart and warm soul. I can see this one quickly become a favorite among my nephews and nieces, particularly as every illustration offers so many details to explore, tons of meaning in each of them

While the story is mostly well-trod territory, the striking use of color and shadow really makes this book special. Additionally, I appreciate that the main character was not the only one who benefited from showing their true self. Instead, everyone benefited.

The art work in Shine, written and illustrated by Bruno Valasse, is stunning. It is worth buying for the artwork alone. My favorite illustration features a moth, the main character "blending in" by perching on the beak of an owl. The moth's wing has an "eye" marking that covers the owl's actual eye. But no matter how much I enjoyed the illustrations I found the story a bit strange and confusing. My advice is to skip the story and just enjoy the pictures.

thank you netgalley for the ARC!

oh my god you guys, this picture book is just toooooooo cute. the art is INCREDIBLE — seriously, the use of color is just absolutely exceptional, and the art style (like the designs of the little moth people) is precious. I could look at this forever.

the story is very short and sweet, a great read for parents with very little kids. the message is one of empowerment and overcoming your fears, so it's a great choice for shy kids who need a reminder that <i>everyone</i> shines.

an easy five stars from me especially for the art style, which is just stunning. seriously. I want framed prints of this little moth guy. SO CUTE

Absolutely stunning artwork in this book, however the story was not quite up to the same level. I found myself a bit confused in some parts, so am not sure how well the narrative will translate for our younger readers.