This post is sponsored by Stephanie Henson. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.
MY REVIEW
Tall as the Sun captures something kids secretly wish for all the time: to feel bigger than the world around them. The story follows a child riding on her father’s shoulders at the beach, and suddenly ordinary things become enormous adventures. Sandcastles turn into towering kingdoms. Seagulls feel close enough to fly beside. Waves become giant walls of crashing magic. The higher she sits, the bigger her imagination grows.
What makes this book work so well is the dreamy feeling running through every page. It feels warm and breezy, like salt air and sunshine wrapped into a story. The repetition gives it the rhythm of a bedtime book, but the imagination keeps expanding in surprising ways, almost like a child’s thoughts drifting into a daydream.
The illustrations are soft, glowing, and filled with motion. Every spread feels enormous in the best way possible.
By the final pages, the story leaves behind that rare feeling childhood books sometimes create: wonder that lingers after the lights go out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Henson lives with her family in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with roots in Central New Jersey. She holds a degree in Communications and a Publishing and Professional Writing Certificate from Rider University, and spends her summers in Ocean City, NJ. An active member of SCBWI (Eastern PA Chapter), Stephanie was a 2024 SCBWI Virtual Conference Scholarship winner, and her work has been featured in both print and online publications.
She is the author of the children’s poetry collection In the Right Lane (a #1 New Release in Children’s Poetry) and the picture book No School, My Rules! (a #1 New Release in Children’s School & Education Books and a Tielmour Press best-seller). Tall as the Sun is her newest picture book, releasing with Watchful Wizard Publishing in May 2026.
Beyond her literary pursuits, Stephanie is a passionate advocate for underrepresented creators living with chronic illness, drawing on her own experience with autoimmune conditions. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, catching a show, watching Netflix, admiring sunflowers, cheering on sports, or sipping coffee.
To learn more, visit stephaniehensonbooks.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tall as the Sun
Written by Stephanie Henson
Illustrated by Yasmin Akhtar
Ages: 0–12 | 30 Pages
Publisher: Watchful Wizard Publishing (2026) | ISBN: 978-1-969819-01-8
Publisher’s Book Summary: Tall as the Sun is a heartfelt story that takes readers on a lyrical journey through the eyes of a child as they discover the magic of perspective during a day at the beach with Dad. As our little hero rises higher and higher on Dad’s shoulders, the world transforms into a playground of endless possibilities. From soaring with seagulls to reaching the top of sandcastles, each page brings a new adventure.
Praise: “It’s easy to picture grandparents or parents reading this book to a child before bed as they drift off to dream of sunny beaches, lulled by the rhythmic sound of ocean waves.” —Readers’ Favorite (5 Stars)
GIVEAWAY
Readers who join us on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win one of four prizes. One grand prize winner will take home a special bundle featuring signed copies of No School, My Rules!, In the Right Lane, and Tall as the Sun, plus a curated book basket filled with fun, bookish goodies. Three additional readers will each win a signed copy of Tall as the Sun.
