I liked this title overall but I wasn't taken with it completely. The thought around the story is great I just didn't think it was executed well enough. I think the comparisons were not there quickly enough for the story and the images didn't capture the ideas well enough for me. I think it would be a good book for a library as it offers support for mental health.

Add this to your Amazon preorder carts right now. My daughter and I had the most special night reading this book together! It was absolutely darling. The story, the picture, the characters, the conversations to follow. Just darling!

This book is so beautifully illustrated that it took my breath away! This was such a cute story about how the light within grows and changes along with you, but a reminder that it will always be there. What I really loved about this is how I can imagine so many parents and caregivers reading this story with little ones and having a profound realization about their own inner light as well.

This book has a good message, and is not religiously based. I have no issue with religion based children’s books, but this may not be for everyone so I think it is good to note. However, this language of the book does not flow very smoothly at all.

This book has beautiful pictures and a meaningful story. This is a non-religious story about the "light" in each person which is compared to the light of the sun. This has a positive message for the good inside us all.

This is a beautifully illustrated book that would make an excellent gift for a graduate. The story is comparing the inner light of a child to the presence of the sun. It's a beautiful message that anyone would be lucky to hear.

However, I do think the writing would be a bit clunky for a younger child to read. While most children's book are written with a certain rhythm, this feels like someone speaking to a young child as they're growing up. The lack of rhyme and rhythm might be difficult for early and young readers to get through. I had to read a few of the pages a couple of times to make sure I was reading it right.

This is a beautiful little book. I would love to give it as a gift to one of my nieces as a graduation gift one day.

Disappointing. Not easy to read aloud - no flow to the language, almost sounding robotic however much expression you attempt to put into it.
The idea is lovely, execution not so much.

Thank you so much to Whimspire Books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

This story follows one little girls sharing about her inner light and how it glows no matter what. She can grow and change and succeed but the light will always be with her.

It was a nice read the illustrations were really beautiful to look at, they were very detailed. I liked the message of a child’s inner light, that glows as bright at the sun. It was a very beautiful message to be told. It showed just one child’s inner light who got herself a great life as she grew up.

I think it was missing something though as it told of only one child’s inner light, each child has a different path in life and I think it might have been sweeter seeing a multitude of children and how their inner light shines around them too. Not every child has an easy life, so how does their inner light shine through it? It would have added an extra something to this story.

This story itself was really sweet to read and was written so beautifully, and I really enjoyed looking at it, the people that were drawn, the houses all just looked so stunning.

This book is a work of art. The artwork is incredibly gorgeous, and I would buy it for that reason alone. The message is lovely too, though I did find some of the wording to not make the most sense. But regardless, a fantastic book that parents and kids will enjoy.

I thought that this was a beautiful book and wonderful story.

The illustrations in the book are stunning, they add so much to the book and really bright it all to life. I really enjoyed the way that the story was written, it flows beautifully and it was a pleasure to read.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - I love the messaging in the book and the positive nature - very highly recommended - a great book in self-confidence and embracing who you are

Written by Courtney Cino, “The Lights That Stay,” seems nearly perfect. The text is concise and not overly burdensome. This gentle story talks about the lifelong light that each human has in all of us—a light that we carry within ourselves from birth until our deaths.

This beautiful story is matched by the beautiful illustrations of Marina Saumell. Saumell’s artwork for this picture book is really high quality. The texture alone is brilliant, particularly in the skies that she created; her sky textures remind me of Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.” Besides the textures, Saumell’s images were extremely detailed to the point that I could even read the notes on the sheet music. If any artist deserves accolades for illustrating a children’s book, then it should be Saumell. I particularly love how the artist showed how the inner light traveled within the child, showing images of her from youth to old age.

This book is one of the highest-quality children’s books that I’ve seen in a long, long time. I can only hope that the author-illustrator duo will create another picture book in the future. I highly recommend this book and hope to see it in libraries across the country.

I received an ARC of “The Lights That Stay,” by Courtney Renae Cino from NetGalley and Whimspire Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am grateful to Cortney Renae Cino Whimspire Books, and Netgalley for the Digital Reader Copy I received. Here follows my thoughts on the book.

A real, feel-good story about one's inner light. A perfect little confidence booster for young readers. Although beautifully illustrated, it would have been good to see a range of children displaying their inner light. This book told of a specific Caucasian girl, who lived in a detached house with a garden, who was afforded the education to take music lessons and play her own piano, as well as wealthy and smart enough to become a doctor. This could be rather off-putting for people that come from working class backgrounds.

For the white, middle-class readers the book appears to target young girls with an affluent background. The message that one has an inner light to mirror, maybe even better, the sun is a positive message for youngsters. I love how the book subtly validates feelings and accepts that the light might not always shine bright, but it is ever present.

This enchanting book gently explores the idea of light, both the natural light of the sun and the inner light we all possess. The illustrations are absolutely breathtaking, with each page feeling like a work of art that enhances the story’s heartfelt message. It’s a wonderful book for young children, teaching them about warmth, positivity, and the beauty within themselves.

The simple yet powerful theme is perfect for sparking conversations with little ones about how we all have something special inside that makes us shine. The artwork alone makes this book a joy to read, but its deeper meaning is what makes it truly memorable. I wholeheartedly recommend this as a must-have for young readers—it's a book that will both inspire and delight.

This is a wonderful book for young kids to discover the power that they have within themselves. Since this is a children's book, I think that this book's message holds even more of an impact. I say this because the message of self-confidence is so important to learn early on. The author definitely recognized this and did something with it, resulting in this book. The writing definitely helps this message get across even better. The author used a gentle writing style, while also making the story beautiful and have an impact (as I mentioned above). On top of that, the illustrations were breathtaking! The illustrator took the writing motif of light and incorporated that into each and every drawing flawlessly. There was at least a little spark of light on every single page, and this definitely helps readers recognize and discover the light that is always shining within them.
Bravo!

Thank you NetGalley and Whimspire Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Lights That Stay" was a lovely book for the kids who need a reminder to shine with the light inside them. This is a great book for the kindergarten age and up.

Very pretty, this is probably fine, just remained the kind of book I would never countenance buying, gifting, or even stocking. It's a love letter to a child whose inner light glows, shines, and yes goes up and down and changes in strength but is as immanent as the sun's. The character this is being addressed to ages, and even seems to become a doctor at one point, but is always the pretty auburn-haired girl we get to look at to start, which in the more literal-minded audience kind of limits the recipients of this. I guess it conveys the right kind of message, to the right kind of person, and it certainly has a lot of craft in the visuals, but it still remained a rarefied kind of gift card sentiment, of use to an exclusive few.

Cute book about being the Light in your life! This was a picture book that I could see reading at a story time hour.

Beautiful book about light and outside. Great for this type of climate of world. The illustrations were cute and the book was emotional and sweet,

What a beautifully written and emotional book. I love the comparison between the sun's light, something that kids can see and feel, to their inner light, something that is not tangible. I loved the illustration and writing style - I would recommend it for kids a little bit older (maybe kinder age and up?) because I think they will be able to understand the concept more fully. Younger kids will still enjoy the illustrations.