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.

This beautiful book talks about the light outside that is the sun and the light within us. It is a beautifully illustrated book, the artwork is stunning. A delightful and important book for the younger kids. Definitely recommended!

The Lights That Stay is a beautifully illustrated book with wonderful prose. I found it incredibly touching and emotional.

This story talks about the two lights that shine...the sun and light inside each person! The light inside each of us guides us through all the challenges and joys of life! This was a story I think is great to add to your library to read to your littles to remind them of what they carry inside!

The Lights That Stay by Cortney Cino

Release Date : January 9th

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for my advanced review copy.

Firstly I found the illustrations so beautiful and I do love the message behind this book, but I also found the story may be too advanced for the age group it's promoted for.

I think older children would love it, and it's even a lovely gift for teenagers or adults due to the special feel to it, but for very young readers I don't feel the pacing and flow matches that of other competiton.

⭐⭐⭐

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

While I do not have children myself, I have eight little cousins I love with my whole heart. I have been reading since I was 4 years old so I want to ignite that love of books in them as well. I am always looking for books that are not only fun but genuinely teach them and help them see the goodness in themselves.

"The Lights That Stay" is a perfect book for the children in your life you want to help shine brighter. It does a beautiful comparison between our inner light and the sun's light, showing how they are both constant, undeniable, beautiful, and special.

I particularly love how the author shows that the light is not only within you during good moments, but within moments of doubt, of fear, of incertitude, and of sadness. And it not only shines for you but it makes others smiles. Even at 23, I find that message so special.

I will be gifting a copy of this book to my cousins, my little lights, and I love that there is a special page to dedicate it to them! This is a perfect gift choice for your little ones' birthday, for Christmas, or honestly, because why not?

This was a very sweet book about the light in you. The art was beautiful and message of this story was great. A great book about kindness and how the light you put out affects the people around you.

This is a beautiful story of a girl who tells us about the different kinds of light. One is the sun, and one is the light that is within you. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. The story is very well written. I definitely recommend this book.

A charming story about the light within is, shown from the perspective of a young girl. Beautiful message to accompany beautiful illustrations. Absolutely loved, and definitely a good story for young readers.

A heartwarming tale of the light inside of all of us and our ability to make our own light shine.

This is a warm and sweet story accompanied by some beautiful images.

The Lights That Stay. I am grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this short book. I loved the art work for it. However, I felt like the book was flat. If felt like I was missing out on the connections in the book.

I don’t think I was. This book could have been so much more.

A heartwarming read for all ages! This book emphasizes our individual inner light; the spark we have that is unique to us all that gives us strength and sees us through the different seasons of our life. It provides the reader with a great reminder to let our light shine. Beautiful illustrations and such an warm and fuzzy read!

The radiant illustrations actually glow in this sweet book about two sources of light: the sun, and the light within each of us. A lovely book encouraging children to use all their gifts to shine in this world. Recommended for young readers and the adults who love them.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Opinions are mine.