21 Oct 2016

MAGICAL STORIES.

MAGICAL STORIES by SOFIA O'HARA.

BACK COVER BLURB: About the book ..

A child can deal with beliefs and emotions which have such a tremendous impact on his self-confidence and self-worth.

Whatever self-belief a child has, this will either aid or hinder his happiness and success. Stories are a truly amazing way of helping children to recognize and shift negative self-perception

The book is a collection of three magical stories designed to provide impacting inspiration in a way that children can easily understand.

STORIES IN THIS COLLECTION: The Frog That Could Not Jump

Oscar is a small frog who did not believe in himself. It was only through a scary event that he discovered something amazing.

Someone Like Me

Lou is a little boy who struggles to fit in. He makes a magical wish. However, his wish is granted in an unexpected way.

Popular

Jenna is a girl who wishes to be popular. She admires the pretty girls in her school who seem to have it all. A poster shows Jenna how to have it all.

SOURCE: Received for review from the author.

MY THOUGHTS: Hmm! I have such mixed thoughts on this collection of short stories which is why I've asked for the help of Little Plum, almost six, with whom I read it.

Beautiful cover and interesting illustrations - full page and in glorious colour - it was however somewhat disappointing that there were only three of them, one at the beginning of each story.

Very different stories but all with a common theme - that of being different, of discovering yourself - at their heart. Whilst each of the stories was enjoyable enough taken on its own, taken as a collection I struggled with the fact that to me they didn't sit comfortably together. That each of the stories (down to the illustrations) seemed suited to quite different age ranges - the first to little ones, the second, to slightly older children, through to the third and what I felt would be much older (and possibly female more than male) children.

A collection I could see working well in a school setting. The first story perhaps re-enacted with the use of puppets. The last as a great starting point for a discussion.

But what of Plum, what were his thoughts?

Weeelll .....

Also a big fan of the cover though like myself (but even more so) he was disappointed with the lack of illustrations.

Like many children he responds well to animal stories and as such loved Oscar (The Frog That Could Not Jump), even managing to grasp the moral of the story in his own not quite six year old way.

As a boy himself he identified with Lou (Someone Like Me) .... to a certain degree ... loving his shadow which reminded him of Peter Pan's shadow. 

As for Jenna (Popular). Evidently too complex a story for him too grasp. Unable to relate to the character in any way, I'm afraid he showed no interest and, unlike the first two stories, has not requested a re-telling.


12 comments:

Kelly said...

How fun that you had assistance in reviewing this one! :)

Like both of you, I was drawn to the cover right off. So cute! But it does seem odd that a children's book doesn't have more illustrations in it. After all, that's a large part of the appeal at that age. Heck, I still enjoy a well-illustrated book.

Natasha said...

I loved that you had some assistance with this review! I loved this cover of this book, and I think I would have loved the story about the frog too. Growing up, those were the kinds of stories I was drawn to. Lovely review! - Tasha

Suko said...

Tracy, I enjoyed this review by you and Plum. Illustrations inside of the book would enhance the stories. Wonderful review!

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

Sounds like it might be a good book to grow with rather than one age. Good to know! I would also personally have to agree and think that all books should have more illustrations. :)

Gina said...

Sounds like the both of you had an interesting time through the pages of this collection. Perhaps a book to grow with? One story when younger, the next as the age progresses, and so on? In either case, I agree on the cover! ^-^

Shooting Stars Mag said...

It sounds like more illustrations would have really helped. That's strange the stories seemed to be for different age ranges though.

Melliane said...

AH mixed one for this one. That's true that the cover is a really nice one

Brian Joseph said...

Illustrations do so much to enhance children's books such as this one is. Too bad there was not more of them.


It is both insightful and neat that you have included Plum's impressions in your review :)

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Tracy,

My little great nephew, Joshua, has only just turned one, so he is a little too young for me to have co-reviewing books yet, but give it a few years - as neither of his parents are really readers!

Already though, he does apparently have one favourite book and he knows just which one to pick up if anyone mentions the word badger, as the word is in the title and, more importantly, the cover image is of a larger than life badger.

Imagery is all important in those early years and I count 6 as early years, so a book which is all text isn't the kind of gift I would be choosing, despite the lovely cover art.

Thanks to both of you for sharing your thoughts :)

Yvonne

Barbara said...

Hello Tracy, I do love the cover. I'm sure I would have to pick this up if I saw it in a shop.
It was really interesting to hear Plum’s thoughts on each of the stories. It almost sounds as though they each need to be expanded, given more illustrations and published as three separate titles.

Stephanie@Fairday's Blog said...

I think the cover is fabulous, but I can see being disappointed that there aren't more illustrations. I loved hearing your thoughts and Plum's. :)

Yanting Gueh said...

Good to hear Little Plum's thoughts on this collection!