Angus All Aglow

Written by Heather Smith

Narrated by Christian Down

Angus loves sparkly things, so much so that he can hear them.

To Angus, shiny objects not only look beautiful; they also crackle, buzz and go whiz-bang-POP! His unique ability is lost, however, when Angus wears his grandma's beaded necklace to school, and his classmates tease him for his atypical choice. Saddened by their laughter, Angus stops hearing the sparkle.

A gentle story of acceptance, generosity and friendship, Angus All Aglow reminds us that it only takes one kind gesture to restore your sparkle, and returning the kindness can make you glow from the inside out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers Audio
• Release date: Sep 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781459822542

Heather Smith

Heather Smith is the author of several picture books, including the award-winning The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden. Her middle-grade novel Ebb and Flow was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, and her YA novel The Agony of Bun O'Keefe won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and the OLA Forest of Reading White Pine Award, and was shortlisted for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award and the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. Originally from Newfoundland, Heather now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her family.

Reviews for Angus All Aglow

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Angus likes sparkling things and bright colours. These include the diamond studs of his dog's collar,the stars, the sequins on his sister's ballet skirt and even the way the sun shines on the water. He also loves what he calls shiny sounds and words like lustrous and glittering. He hears these sounds when he looks at shiny things. When his grandmother sees him admiring her sparkling beaded necklace, she gives it to him and he decides to wear it to school the next day. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks that the necklace is wonderful. The kids tease him about it, laughing and being very rude, until he loses his love for sparkling things. He doesn't hear the sounds and he breaks the necklace trying to get it off. The next day, Angus is in for a surprise. With a new friend in tow, he gets his sparkle back again.

This is a beautiful story about being yourself and not letting others put you down. This is a great story to teach acceptance and kindness. It shows us that it is okay to be different and be proud of it. I loved the illustrations in this book. They sparkled with bright colours and the text did as well. The sparkling adjectives and verbs are bright colours that highlight those words to the reader or listener. The children I read this book to really enjoyed it. It was interesting to hear my nephew comment that boys don't wear necklaces and I told him that they can if they want, as my grandson proudly displayed two necklaces that belonged to his great-grandma. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[pardamustang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Young Angus loves things that sparkle and shine. One day, his gran gives him a bright beautiful necklace with many strands of colourful beads. Delighted with his gift, Angus wears it to school. Unfortunately, his classmates are not as thrilled with his sparkly prize and tease him over it. Disheartened, Angus loses his love for the bright and shiny. That is, til one sweet girl helps him rekindle that love.My cubs and I adored this book! I'm very much for tolerance, acceptance, and, anthropologist that I am, cultural awareness. Everyone is unique and different, and that should be respected. Angus found a friend that fully accepted him just as he was. To me, Angus seems like he has a form of synesthesia. He hears shiny things, and that makes his world even more interesting. Not sure if he really does, but I'd like to think so. Plus, the artwork is adorable!***Many thanks to Netgalley and Orca Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[librarianryan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like this story, but I feel something is missing. Angus loves things that sparkle. His grandmother gives him a very sparkly necklace that he wears to school and gets teased about. While trying to take the necklace off, it breaks sending beads everywhere. Because of this accident Angus makes a new friend in Melody, who also loves sparkly things. Between them becoming friends and rediscovering the wonderful world of sparkles, and them going back to school to turning heads, it seems acceptance comes to the class without a talk, or a reason. I hope for this to happen at all times, but to be teased one day, and not the next, something is missing. Overall, I like the story, the message, and the illustrations. It could work for a variety of lessons.