One More Year is a children’s fantasy picture book written by Allison Ione Ballenger and illustrated by Carlos Velez Aguilera. What could be more exciting for a small child than their birthday? Well, what about the promise of the magical things that will happen when they’re one year older? In this enchanting and magical story, a little girl’s big brother promises her all manner of magical events which will happen in one more year. At first, it’s encountering the wizard who lives in the tree outside when she reaches the age of three -- a wise and friendly wizard who rides a bird with a long thin beak. The next year, she’ll get to meet a grumpy elf, who just happens to enjoy life safely ensconced in a dresser drawer. As she grows older, she begins to see a pattern in the promises of magical events the following year, and the way they seem to change or disappear just before she reaches those milestone birthdays. But the magic, or rather, simply the promise of it, is the stuff of high fantasy, and the glue that binds the love of brother and sister.

Allison Ione Ballenger’s One More Year is a nostalgic look at the author’s own childhood and her brother who created all the magic as she was growing up. I loved seeing how each year he’d create marvelous visions of the next birthday’s adventure even as I could relate to his sister’s growing impatience with the magic which never seemed to pan out after all. Young readers and caregivers alike will quickly come to realize the magic is in the stories themselves, the flights of the imagination the boy shares with his little sister, and the rich fantasy world he envisions and makes her a part of it. Carlos Velez Aguilera’s illustrations are arresting and powerful. Each panel is eloquent and chock-full of details, shading, and magic. I was drawn to all of them, starting with the wonderful first image of the siblings in the kitchen, sitting at the counter with a birthday cake in front of them. Behind them, there’s a big window that looks out onto the backyard, a large tree, and a wooden fence. If you look carefully, you can see reflections in the windowpane of the utensils sitting in a cup on the counter. Every picture is so rich in detail, and the fantasy panels are gorgeously colored and richly imagined. This book is a grand selection for storytime, but it’s also perfect for a young reader to try on their own. There’s magic inside! One More Year is most highly recommended.

One More Year is a work of fiction for children, and it is presented in the form of a picture book, with words and story by author Allison Ione Ballenger and illustrations from artist Carlos Vélez Aguilera. Designed as a read-along for young children, but also suitable as a first read for their older siblings, this charming book takes a tender look at a relationship between a brother and sister. As his little sister celebrates her birthday, our big brother storyteller introduces her to the world of imagination and showcases all of the magical things that she can encounter in the big wide world as she grows up.

Author Allison Ione Ballenger has created an absolutely beautiful book that will certainly charm its intended audience, as well as the older siblings, parents, and guardians who are part of the reading experience too. The book is presented in rhyme, delivering a counting system from the little girl’s second birthday as we go through a series of inventive characters and fun scenarios. One of the things I liked most was the contrast between these and the tender scenes of the brother and sister playing happily at home together in between. The illustrations from artist Carlos Vélez Aguilera are genuinely out of this world beautiful, complementing the text perfectly and delivering a deeply visual experience than any art fan could pore over for hours on end. Overall, I would highly recommend One More Year as a gorgeous and extremely creative work that young readers will be sure to enjoy again and again.